Best Public Schools in Zip Code 56343

Summary:

The 56343 zip code area has only one school, West Central Area S. Elementary, which serves grades PK-4 with an enrollment of 125 students. The school is part of the West Central Area school district, which is ranked 142 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and rated 3 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

West Central Area S. Elementary has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 348 out of 845 Minnesota elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 583 out of 881 in 2023-2024, with a projected improvement to 370 out of 872 in 2024-2025. The school's proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading for all grades were 60.78% and 47.06% respectively in the 2024-2025 school year, which were higher than the district and state averages. However, the performance at the grade level was more varied, with some grades exceeding the benchmarks and others falling short.

In the 2023-2024 school year, 43.2% of students at West Central Area S. Elementary were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school had a student-teacher ratio of 8.4. These factors suggest the school may face challenges related to socioeconomic factors that can impact student learning and achievement, but the small school size may also provide more personalized attention for students.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)			MCA-III Reading (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
West Central Area S. Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	31 N Central	Kensington	56343	Douglas County	West Central Area	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 965-7600	138	12	11.1	39.9%	123 (89.1%)	3 (2.2%)	7 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	59.9	370^th of 872 public elementary schools	57.6%		40.2	583^rd of 881 public elementary schools	33.8%	213	72.2	54.6	60.8	61.1	39.4	47.1	$14,376

Cities Near Zip Code 56343

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kensington	4.6 mi	1	205^th
Brandon	9.43 mi	3	45^th
Barrett	10.6 mi	3	212^th
Evansville	10.98 mi	1	67^th
Garfield	11.82 mi	1	16^th

See the top MN Minnesota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.