Best Public Schools in Zip Code 55976

ZIP code 55976 covers Stewartville, Minnesota, where four schools serve about 1,935 students: Bonner Elementary (K–2) and Bear Cave Intermediate (3–5) at the elementary level, Stewartville Middle (6–8), and Stewartville Senior High (9–12), all part of the Stewartville Public School District, which ranks 117 of 458 districts in the state (74th percentile, 4 stars).

Bear Cave Intermediate School is the clear academic standout, with the highest proficiency in every subject — Math 62.6, Reading 61.7, Science 34.2 — above both district and state, and the only 4-star school at the school level. Its rank percentile has climbed steadily, 74 to 76 to 80, and its science score rose from 22.88 to 34.2 year over year. Stewartville Senior High stands out on completion: a 92.9% graduation rate and 3.1% dropout rate, both better than the state's 84.9% and 4.2%, plus strong science at 38.6 versus the state's 25.5. Its math, however, is weak at 28.0 against district 47.1 and state 44.9. Stewartville Middle is the standout concern in science at 12.5, far below district 28.4 and state 25.5, and its rank has slipped from 65 to 63 to 59.

Math proficiency falls sharply across grade bands — 62.6 at Bear Cave, 36.7 at the middle school, 28.0 at the high school — while reading is the most stable subject across all three. Bonner Elementary has no test or rank data, which is expected for a K–2 school and not a weakness; it does have the highest FRPL rate at 28.47% and the lowest student/teacher ratio at 15.4. Student/teacher ratios are close across the district (15.4 to 16.8), so they alone do not explain the academic differences between these schools.