Summary:
ZIP code 56208, in the Appleton, Minnesota area, has one public elementary school: Appleton-Milan Elementary, serving grades PK–4 with 230 students in Lac qui Parle Valley Schools. Because it is the only elementary school in the ZIP code, parents cannot compare it with another local elementary; comparisons are to the district, Minnesota state averages, and the school's own past results.
The school's strongest relative result is all-grades math. In 2025-2026, 40.5% of students were proficient in math, up from 38.1% in 2024-2025, and above the district's 33.5% but below the state's 44.9%. Reading is the clearest concern: 30.4% proficient in 2025-2026, down slightly from 31.75%, and below both the district (34.7%) and state (48.6%). Grade-level gaps are large, especially 4th grade reading at 28.6% (20.2 points below state) and 4th grade math at 37.1% (18.1 points below state); 3rd grade reading is 31.8% (15.0 points below state) and 3rd grade math is 43.2% (14.7 points below state).
The school has been rated 1 star for three years, ranking 688 of 869 schools at the 21st percentile in 2025-2026, after 667 of 872 (24th percentile) in 2024-2025 and 732 of 881 (17th percentile) in 2023-2024, so it remains in the bottom quartile. Its district is rated 2 stars and ranks 295 of 458 districts at the 36th percentile. For context, 61.74% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024-2025, and the student-teacher ratio was 13.2. Overall, math is a relative bright spot against the district but still trails the state, while reading is a consistent weakness and the school's overall rating remains low.
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