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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 56401

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Minnesota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

3,433

Students

Districts

Top rankedLowell Elementary100^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Harrison Elementary up 120 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Lincoln Education Center 6.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

3 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked Minnesota schools →

Summary:

The 56401 zip code area of Brainerd, Minnesota is home to 9 schools, including 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The data reveals a mix of high-performing and struggling schools, with Lowell Elementary consistently ranking among the top elementary schools in the state, while Independent School District (ISD) 181 Learning Center has very low proficiency rates and a high dropout rate.

The district's main high school, Brainerd Senior High, has seen a decline in its statewide ranking in recent years, dropping from 5 stars to 3 stars, though it still performs above the Brainerd Public School District and state averages in many areas. The alternative schools, Independent School District (ISD) 181 Learning Center and Middle Level Alternative Program, struggle academically, with very low proficiency rates compared to the district and state.

The data also reveals a correlation between socioeconomic status and student outcomes, with schools having higher percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, such as Riverside Elementary, Garfield Elementary, and Harrison Elementary, tending to have lower academic performance. The wide variation in performance across the schools within the same Brainerd Public School District highlights the importance of analyzing data at the individual school level.

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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 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Discovery Woods	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	604 N 7th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Discovery Woods	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 828-8200	101	11	8.9	64.4%	77 (76.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (17.8%)	29	658^th of 872 public elementary schools	24.5%		29.4	658^th of 881 public elementary schools	25.3%		35.3		9.1	9.1		25.0	35.3		45.5	63.6		41.7	$9,692
Brainerd Senior High	Public	9-12	702 S 5th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6200	1,805	90	19.9	31.5%	1,612 (89.3%)	24 (1.3%)	45 (2.5%)	17 (0.9%)	21 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (4.8%)	58.8	209^th of 450 public high schools	53.6%		73.4	116^th of 480 public high schools	75.8%	93					41.4	41.4					43.4	43.4	$11,859
Garfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1120 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6450	250	21	12.1	52.4%	203 (81.2%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (10.0%)	26.9	674^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.7%		52.2	468^th of 881 public elementary schools	46.9%	206	24.2	42.6				32.5	18.5	51.9				33.6	$12,674
Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1515 Oak St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6500	230	19	12.1	59.1%	200 (87.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (7.4%)	45.3	518^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.6%		32.3	638^th of 881 public elementary schools	27.6%	120	68.2	41.3				54.4	52.3	19.6				35.6	$14,382
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-4	704 3rd Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6550	355	26	13.9	39.7%	314 (88.5%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)	84.4	100^th of 872 public elementary schools	88.5%		88	62^nd of 881 public elementary schools	93.0%	38	74.7	71.6				73.2	59.5	67.6				63.4	$11,809
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	220 3rd St NW	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 454-6800	407	40	10.2	57.5%	344 (84.5%)	4 (1.0%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (8.1%)	44.4	525^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.8%		41.2	573^rd of 881 public elementary schools	35.0%	48	44.8	52.1				47.9	41.7	45.1				43.1	$15,397
Lincoln Education Center	Public, Alternative	3-12	400 Quince St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6600	105	16	6.6	75.2%	78 (74.3%)	5 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	11 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.6%)								(n/a)						0.0					18.8	8.8	$31,175
Independent School District (Isd) 181 Learning Center	Public	8-12	311 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5400	166	11	14.8	52.4%	140 (84.3%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.4%)	11.1	412^th of 450 public high schools	8.4%		25.3	370^th of 480 public high schools	22.9%	42					2.4	2.4					27.3	27.3	$13,935
Middle Level Alternative Program	Public	5-8	311 10th Ave NE	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-5400	14	2	7.0	71.4%	11 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)						6.3						46.7	$2,142
Brainerd Online School	Public	9-12	702 S 5th St	Brainerd	56401	Crow Wing County	Brainerd Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 454-6273	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 56401

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Brainerd	2.12 mi	10	335^th
Baxter	6.23 mi	4	124^th
Crosby	12.63 mi	2	155^th
Nisswa	14.16 mi	1	75^th
Pillager	15.73 mi	6	198^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.