Summary:
ZIP code 56149 contains two elementary-level schools: Lake Benton Elementary, which serves grades PK–6 with 100 students, and Heartland Elementary, which serves grades K–8 with just 12 students. Both are located in Lake Benton, Minnesota, but they belong to different districts: Lake Benton Elementary is part of the Lake Benton Public School District, while Heartland Elementary belongs to the Pipestone Area School District. Despite sharing a ZIP code, the two schools have very different profiles.
Lake Benton Elementary is the clear academic standout. Its district ranks 95 of 458 statewide (79th percentile, 4 stars), and the school itself ranked 248 of 869 (71st percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026, after a stronger 2024–2025 showing of 88 of 872 (90th percentile, 5 stars). In 2025–2026, all-grade math proficiency was 67.9% versus 44.9% statewide, and reading was 60.4% versus 48.6%, with most grade levels above state in both subjects. Science is the weak spot at 15.4% versus 25.5% statewide. Scores did decline from 2024–2025, when math was 75.51% and reading 73.47%, but math and reading remain well above state averages.
Heartland Elementary's own test scores are suppressed by the state for privacy in both years, so its academic performance is unknown — not zero and not evidence of weakness. What is known: enrollment of 12 students, a 75% free/reduced lunch rate compared with 36% at Lake Benton, and a student/teacher ratio of 5.1 versus 8.3. Its district ranks 378 of 458 (17th percentile, 1 star), with district-level math, reading, and science below state; those are district figures, not Heartland's own results. Families comparing the two schools should weigh Lake Benton's measurable strengths in math and reading against Heartland's very small size and unavailable school-level performance data.
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