Summary:
ZIP code 56379 contains 8 schools serving pre-kindergarten through grade 12: 3 elementary, 1 middle, and 4 high schools, with about 4,024 students in total. The area is dominated by Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools, which accounts for 4 schools and roughly 97.3% of listed enrollment, while St. Cloud Public School District and Benton-Stearns Education District operate only small specialized programs. The big four are Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High (1,319), Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School (1,055), Mississippi Heights Elementary (808), and Pleasantview Elementary (734); the other four range from 8 to 59 students.
Pleasantview Elementary has the strongest reading profile in the ZIP: 51.4% all-grade reading and 62.2% in 5th grade, both above district and state. Its math (47.0%) is also slightly above the state's 44.9%, and its student-teacher ratio of 13.3 is the lowest among the larger schools. Mississippi Heights Elementary is the elementary math standout at 46.7%, with 3rd-grade math at 59.1%, though 5th-grade reading (49.3%) trails district and state. Science is the weak spot for both elementaries: 17.4% and 18.9%, well below the state's 25.5%.
Secondary results are the area's biggest concern. Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High graduates 88.0% of students with a 4.0% dropout rate, both better than the state, yet all-grade math is 22.2% and reading 40.4%, and its rank slipped from 3 stars to 2 stars. Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School has the lowest science proficiency in the ZIP at 9.9% and the highest student-teacher ratio at 19.6. Benton-Stearns Education District and its companion programs (Benton Stearns Education 18-22, Benton-Stearns Education Pioneers) serve very small, high-need populations with many suppressed scores, so their numbers shouldn't be compared directly with the larger schools. Alternative Learning Center - Sauk Rapids reports no test data.
Thank you for your feedback!