Summary:
Zip code 56101 in Windom has just one elementary school: Windom Area Elementary, a PK–4 school with 493 students in the Windom Public School District. Because it is the only elementary school in the area, there are no local peers to compare it against — the useful comparisons are to the district, the state, and the school's own past performance.
In 2025–2026, the school ranked 557 of 869 elementary schools statewide — the 36th percentile — and earned 2 stars, matching its district's 2-star rating and 34th-percentile district rank. Reading is the clearest weakness: proficiency is 37.2% at all grades versus 48.6% statewide, 30.5% in 3rd grade versus 46.8% statewide, and 42.6% in 4th grade versus 48.8% statewide. The 3rd grade reading gap of 16.3 points is the largest single gap in the data. Math looks strong in the all-grade figure (51.4% vs 44.9% statewide), but that number covers only the tested grades 3–4; by grade, both 3rd grade math (50.0% vs 57.9%) and 4th grade math (52.5% vs 55.2%) fall below the state.
The school's best recent year was 2024–2025, when it reached the 48th percentile; in 2025–2026 it fell to the 36th percentile, down 107 positions. Math slipped from 57.0% to 51.4% and reading from 43.0% to 37.2%. About half of students (49.29%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is 13.2 — context that does not explain performance but matters for interpretation. Reading scores should be compared across years with caution, since the exam label differs (MCA-III in 2024–2025, MCA-IV in 2025–2026). The main takeaway for families: early reading, especially in 3rd grade, is the area most in need of attention.
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