Summary:
ZIP code 56296 covers Wheaton, Minnesota, and contains two schools serving roughly 352 students in total: Pearson Elementary (grades PK–5, enrollment 177) and Wheaton Secondary (grades 6–12, enrollment 175). Both belong to the Wheaton Area Public School District, which ranks 316 of 458 Minnesota districts — 31st percentile, 2 stars. There is no separate middle school here; Wheaton Secondary covers grades 6–8 inside its 6–12 span.
Pearson Elementary is the stronger academic performer of the two. Its all-grade math proficiency was 49.5% in 2025–2026, above the state's 44.9% and well above the district's 36.4%, and it reached 64.56% in 2024–2025 against a state rate of 45.21%. Third-grade math was also above state, 64.5% versus 57.9%, and reading was close to average at 46.2% versus 48.6%. Science is its severe weakness: 3.4% proficient in 2025–2026, against 11.5% district and 25.5% state, with 5th-grade science also at 3.4% versus 25.9% statewide.
Wheaton Secondary stands out for completion rather than test scores: a 96.1% graduation rate and 0.0% dropout rate, versus 84.9% and 4.2% statewide. Proficiency, though, is low — math 23.4%, reading 35.5%, and science 16.3%, all below the state. Grade 8 math was 14.8% against 42.3% statewide, grade 11 math 12.5% against 35.3%, and grade 8 reading 25.9% against 50%. Its rank fell from 201 of 450 (55th percentile, 3 stars) to 356 of 473 (25th percentile, 1 star); Pearson Elementary slipped from the 64th to the 41st percentile. Free/reduced lunch rates are similar (44.07% and 40.57%), and with such small enrollments, single students can shift percentages, so year-to-year swings deserve caution.
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