Summary:
ZIP code 55735 is home to two elementary schools, both serving grades PK–6: East Central Elementary (391 students) in East Central School District, and Finlayson Elementary (58 students) in Hinckley-Finlayson School District. The two serve economically similar communities — free/reduced lunch is about half of enrollment at each, 49.36% at East Central and 51.72% at Finlayson — but they differ sharply in size and staffing: East Central has a 14:1 student-teacher ratio, Finlayson 10.1:1.
Finlayson Elementary is the standout of the pair. In 2025–2026 it ranked 350 of 869 schools, placing in the 60th percentile with 3 stars — well above its district's 34th percentile. Its strongest subject is Math, at 57.1% proficiency across all grades, compared with 33.1% in its district and 44.9% statewide; 5th grade Math is 60% versus 41.9% statewide. Science is also strong at 30%, above the district's 18.5% and the state's 25.5%. Reading is more mixed: 39.3%, above the district's 32.9% but below the state's 48.6%. Finlayson's rank has climbed from the 35th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 60th percentile now.
East Central Elementary ranked 586 of 869, in the 33rd percentile with 2 stars — roughly in line with its district's 32nd percentile, but down from the 50th percentile and 3 stars in 2023–2024. It trails the state in all three subjects: Math 39.8% vs 44.9%, Reading 39.8% vs 48.6%, and Science 7.5% vs 25.5%. That Science figure is the largest gap in the data and fell from 22.41% the year before. Bright spots include 4th grade Math at 56.6% and 5th grade Reading at 55%, both above state. Reading is a shared weakness, with both schools below the state average. Because Finlayson is small, several grade-level results are suppressed and marked unknown rather than zero, and small cohorts can swing percentages, so its scores deserve some caution.
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