Summary:
ZIP code 56307 contains just one middle school, Albany Area Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 with 457 students as part of the Albany Public School District. Because it is the only middle school in the area, there is nothing to compare it against locally — the entire middle-school picture here is this one school, and that picture is generally a strong one. Its district ranks 56th of 458 in Minnesota, placing it in the 88th percentile with 4 stars.
Academically, math is the standout. In 2025–2026, 56.8% of students were proficient in math across all grades, compared with 44.9% statewide — 11.9 percentage points above the state. Eighth-grade math is even stronger at 63.7% proficient versus 42.3% statewide, a 21.4-point advantage. Reading is also above the state overall (51.6% vs. 48.6%), though 7th-grade reading lags at 40.3% versus 43.5% statewide, the only reading grade below the state. The school has held a 4-star rating in each of the last three years and ranked in the 84th, 90th, and 82nd percentiles from 2023–2024 through 2025–2026.
The main concerns are recent declines and science. Proficiency fell year over year in math (−4.27 points), reading (−4.30), and science (−2.05), while the district held steady or improved in math and science. In math, the school slipped from above the district to below it. Science is the weakest subject: 8th graders scored 15.4% proficient against 16.7% statewide, a modest 1.3-point gap, though the all-grade comparison (15.4% vs. 25.5%) looks worse because the state figure includes other grade levels. For context, 19.26% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch in 2024–2025 and the student-teacher ratio was 18.5.
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