Summary:
ZIP code 56129 covers Ellsworth, Minnesota, and contains just one high school: Ellsworth Secondary, a school serving grades 7–12 with about 60 students, part of Ellsworth Public School District. Because it is the only high school in the area, everything below is a profile of that one school rather than a comparison among local options. The most encouraging news is the school's ranking momentum: it moved from 326th of 428 schools in 2020–2021 (24th percentile, 1 star) to 275th of 472 in 2021–2022 (42nd percentile, 2 stars), and up to 57th of 473 in 2025–2026 — the 88th percentile with 4 stars. The district itself ranked 148 of 458 (68th percentile, 3 stars).
Reading is the clearest strength. In 2025–2026, all-grade reading proficiency was 50.0%, a bit above the state's 48.6%, and 10th-grade reading stood out at 69.2% versus 42.5% statewide — a 26.7-point advantage. Science also looks better recently: all-grade science rose from 5.88% in 2024–2025 (state: 26.15%) to 26.9% in 2025–2026 (state: 25.5%), and End-of-Course science was 38.5% against the state's 35.0%. Other favorable signs include a 0.0% dropout rate (state: 4.2%) and a low student-teacher ratio of 11.1. Note that 7th- and 11th-grade math and 7th-grade reading results were suppressed by the state, so those grades can't be judged from this data.
Math is the main concern. In 2025–2026, all-grade math proficiency was 26.9% compared with 44.9% statewide, an 18-point gap, and 8th-grade math was 23.1% versus 42.3%. The graduation rate was 81.8%, slightly under the state's 84.9%. Parents should also weigh the school's small size: with only about 60 students in grades 7–12 and grade-level percentages built on roughly 13 test-takers, one or two students can shift results by about 7.7 points, so single-year swings in reading and science may be volatile. Overall, the picture is a small, improving school that is strong in reading and recently competitive in science, with math as the area to watch.
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