Summary:
ZIP code 56401 covers nine schools in the Brainerd, Minnesota area — five elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and one alternative school — serving about 3,433 students, with eight of them belonging to Brainerd Public School District and Discovery Woods operating as its own single-school district.
Where to look first: Lowell Elementary is the academic standout, with 4 stars, math proficiency of 71.7% and reading of 62.3% — well above the district (46.4% math, 52% reading) and state (44.9% math, 48.6% reading). Brainerd Senior High is the largest school, with 1,805 students, about 53% of all students in the ZIP; it earns 3 stars and posts science at 36.3%, a graduation rate of 93.9%, and a dropout rate of 1.0%. Harrison Elementary is improving, rising from the 28th to the 44th percentile, and its math score (52.1%) beats district and state. Garfield Elementary and Riverside Elementary rank below district averages overall, though Garfield's math and reading both improved this year.
Several schools face significant challenges. Discovery Woods is the sharpest decliner: 8th percentile, 0 stars, math at 11.8% and reading at 30.3%, both down sharply from last year. ISD 181 Learning Center earns 1 star, with math at 5.5% and a graduation rate of 52.3%, far below district and state. Lincoln Education Center has no rank history, reports 0% math and science, and has the highest free/reduced lunch rate in the ZIP at 75.24%, while the tiny Middle Level Alternative Program (14 students) ranks in the 2nd percentile. A "—" means the state suppressed that score, so treat it as unknown rather than zero. Finally, poverty does not neatly predict performance: Lowell has 39.72% free/reduced lunch yet the top scores, while Brainerd Senior High has the lowest rate at 31.52% but all-grades math and reading below district and state.
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