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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 56001

At a glance

Schools

1,739

Students

Top rankedDakota Meadows Middle School103^rd of 519 Minnesota middle schools

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Biggest riser

Prairie Winds Middle School up 49 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The 56001 zip code in Minnesota is home to a single middle school, Prairie Winds Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. While the school has shown improvement in its statewide ranking and rating, its academic performance remains below the Mankato Public School District and Minnesota state averages in key areas.

Prairie Winds Middle School's proficiency rates in Math and Reading range from 42.27% to 49.29% and 43.49% to 50.54%, respectively, compared to the district averages of 45.14% to 54.98% and 49.24% to 54.42%. The school's Science proficiency rate is also significantly lower than the district and state averages. However, the school's statewide ranking has improved over the past three years, moving from 236th out of 529 Minnesota middle schools in 2022-2023 to 155th out of 519 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the school's SchoolDigger rating has increased from 3 stars to 4 stars out of 5 during this time period.

The school's relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, at 47.16% in the 2023-2024 school year, may be a contributing factor to its academic performance. The school's student-teacher ratio of 17.7 is also slightly higher than the typical recommended ratio. To address these challenges, Prairie Winds Middle School may need to explore targeted interventions and support programs to better meet the needs of its student population and align its practices with district and state standards.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)				MCA-III Reading (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Prairie Winds Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Prairie Winds Dr	Mankato	56001	Blue Earth County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 345-6625	887	50	17.8	42.8%	562 (63.4%)	166 (18.7%)	79 (8.9%)	16 (1.8%)	7 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	54 (6.1%)	66	155^th of 519 public middle schools	70.1%		58.8	204^th of 545 public middle schools	62.6%	49	49.3	42.3	48.0	46.5	48.4	43.5	50.5	47.4	$11,184
Dakota Meadows Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 Howard Dr	North Mankato	56001	Nicollet County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 387-5077	852	45	19.1	30.2%	646 (75.8%)	75 (8.8%)	55 (6.5%)	8 (0.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (7.5%)	75.3	103^rd of 519 public middle schools	80.2%		72.1	126^th of 545 public middle schools	76.9%	23	47.5	48.0	50.6	48.6	55.4	54.9	52.8	54.4	$11,176
Central Middle School Alternative Learning Center	Public	6-8	110 Fulton Street	Mankato	56001	Blue Earth County	Mankato Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 387-3047	0	1	2.9		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 56001

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mankato	0.26 mi	21	176^th
North Mankato	1.17 mi	8	73^rd
Eagle Lake	5.42 mi	1	35^th
Saint Clair	8.68 mi	2	118^th
Saint Peter	10.15 mi	14	85^th

See the top MN Minnesota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.