Best Public Schools in Zip Code 56219

Zip code 56219 is Browns Valley, Minnesota, where families are served by two public schools in the Browns Valley Public School District: Browns Valley Elementary (grades PK–4, 128 students) and Browns Valley Middle (grades 5–9, 77 students). There is no high school or alternative school listed in this zip code.

Of the two, Browns Valley Middle is the steadier performer. It has held roughly the same place in the state rankings for three years — 47th–48th percentile and 2 stars each year — and in 2025–26 its reading proficiency (42.9%) was nearly 30 points higher than the elementary school's (13.6%), while its math (34.3%) was about 7 points higher. Its 6th grade math score of 42.1% topped the state's 39.5%. Browns Valley Elementary, by contrast, has fallen sharply: from the 52nd percentile and 3 stars in 2023–24 to the 8th percentile and 0 stars in 2025–26. Its reading proficiency is 13.6% against a state figure of 48.6%, and grade-level reading was especially low — 8.7% in 3rd grade and 19% in 4th grade.

Both schools serve similar populations: free/reduced lunch is 67.19% at the elementary and 68.83% at the middle. Student–teacher ratios run the opposite way from performance, at 9.9 for the elementary and 19.8 for the middle — exactly double. Both schools remain below state averages in current all-grade math and reading, and the middle school's science score fell from 30% to 18.2% year over year. With only 128 and 77 students enrolled, a handful of students can move proficiency percentages substantially, so these figures are best read across multiple years. Families should also note the middle school ends at grade 9; grades 10–12 are not available in this zip code.