Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 56031

ZIP code 56031 is home to two elementary schools: Fairmont Elementary School, a PK–6 school with 1,007 students in Fairmont Area School District, and Southern Plains Education Coop., a PK–K cooperative program with 19 students in Southern Plains Education Coop. Fairmont accounts for roughly 98% of the combined elementary enrollment here, while Southern Plains is a very small early-childhood program. Because they serve different grade levels and only one reports state test scores, the two schools are not directly comparable.

Fairmont Elementary School is the only school here with MCA test results. In 2025–2026, 39.1% of students were proficient in math, 42.2% in reading, and 24.6% in science — above its district averages in math and reading, but below the state average in all three subjects. Science came closest to state level, just 0.9 points behind. Grade-level results show the upper grades lag most: 6th grade math was 20.3% versus 39.5% statewide, and 6th grade reading 35.5% versus 53.4%. Third through fifth grade are much closer to state norms. The trend is positive: the school moved from 607th of 881 (31st percentile) three years ago to 552nd of 869 (36th percentile), with a steady 2-star rating. Science proficiency rose from 16.67% to 24.6% year over year, while math was flat and reading dipped slightly.

Southern Plains Education Coop. reports no test scores because it serves only PK–K, so its academics cannot be judged from this data — the absence of scores should not be read as poor performance. It has a student-teacher ratio of 7.1, less than half Fairmont's 15.3, and a higher free/reduced lunch rate (68.42% versus 59.09%). Both schools serve substantial proportions of students from lower-income families, which is useful context when reading achievement figures. Overall, families in 56031 with elementary-age children are served almost entirely by Fairmont Elementary School, which performs above its district average in math and reading but continues working to close gaps with the state, especially in the upper grades.