Summary:
ZIP code 56271, covering Murdock, Minnesota, has exactly one public school: Murdock Elementary, an elementary school serving PK–6 with 395 students in the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg district. There are no middle, high, or alternative schools in the ZIP, so students must look elsewhere after grade 6. The school has a 40.51% free/reduced lunch rate, which suggests meaningful economic need, and a student-teacher ratio of 11.4, which is relatively favorable staffing.
In 2025–2026, Murdock Elementary outperformed both its district and the state in Math and Reading at the all-grade level. Math proficiency was 47.7% (district 41.9%, state 44.9%), and Reading was 51.1% (district 44.5%, state 48.6%). Strong bright spots include 4th-grade Reading at 57.8% (state 48.8%), 4th-grade Math at 60.9% (state 55.2%), and 6th-grade Math at 50.0% (state 39.5%). Science is the clear weakness: all-grade proficiency was 12.8%, below the district’s 15.3% and far below the state’s 25.5%; 5th-grade Science was also 12.8% versus the state’s 25.9%. 5th-grade Math was another weak point at 32.1%, compared with the state’s 41.9%.
Year over year, Math declined more sharply at the school than at the district or state level, falling from 54.24% to 47.7%, though it remains above the state. Reading was essentially flat, moving from 51.06% to 51.1%, and remained above the state. Science dropped from 16.36% to 12.8% and remains far below the state. In ranking history, the school earned 3 stars in each of the last three years and placed in the 59th percentile in 2024–2025 before slipping to the 50th percentile in 2025–2026, still in the top half of ranked Minnesota schools. The district, by contrast, is at the 43rd percentile with 2 stars. Overall, Murdock Elementary offers above-state Math and Reading, notable 4th- and 6th-grade results, and a 3-star rating, but Science, 5th-grade Math, and the recent Math decline are the main areas to watch.
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