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Best High Schools in Zip Code 56362

At a glance

Schools

475

Students

Districts

Top rankedPaynesville Area Secondary School349^th of 450 Minnesota high schools

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Summary:

The 56362 zip code is home to a single high school, Paynesville Area Secondary School, which serves students in grades 9-12. While the school has a relatively small enrollment of 484 students, its academic performance and rankings suggest room for improvement compared to state averages.

Paynesville Area Secondary School consistently underperforms the Minnesota state averages in math, reading, and science proficiency across multiple grade levels and school years. The school's statewide ranking has also declined, dropping from 214 out of 476 Minnesota high schools in 2022-2023 to 349 out of 450 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate of 84.2% is slightly below the state average, while its 4.4% dropout rate is higher than the state average.

Socioeconomic factors may play a role, as nearly 30% of Paynesville Area Secondary School's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's leadership and the Paynesville Area Schools district should closely examine these areas and develop targeted interventions to address the underlying issues and improve the educational experience for its students.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Paynesville Area Secondary School	Public	6-12	795 Business 23 S	Paynesville	56362	Stearns County	Paynesville Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 243-3761	465	32	14.5	28.4%	424 (91.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	27.4	349^th of 450 public high schools	22.4%		37.2	323^rd of 480 public high schools	32.7%	26	33.3	33.3	5.1	15.3	22.4	54.7	42.1	22.0	36.1	39.7	$12,502
WCED 18-22 Program	Public	12	805 E State Highway 55	Paynesville	56362	Stearns County	West Central Education District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(320) 256-6026	10	1	10.0	30.0%	9 (90.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 56362

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Paynesville	2.19 mi	3	304^th
Richmond	9.43 mi	1	183^rd
Eden Valley	9.43 mi	3	69^th
Cold Spring	13.71 mi	6	179^th
New London	14.33 mi	5	65^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.