Summary:
ZIP code 56401 in Brainerd, Minnesota, contains just one middle school in this data set: Middle Level Alternative Program, a grades 5–8 alternative program serving 14 students, part of Brainerd Public School District. The district ranks 249th of 458 statewide — the 46th percentile, with 2 stars — placing it mid-pack in Minnesota. Because this ZIP code has only one middle school, there is no local comparison group; district and state averages are the only reference points available, and they should be applied cautiously to a small alternative setting.
Middle Level Alternative Program stands out for its very small size, a 7:1 student-teacher ratio in 2024–2025, and a high economic need indicator of 71.43% free/reduced lunch. Its state ranking has fallen across the reported years: 338th of 533 (37th percentile, 2 stars) in 2018–2019, 487th of 529 (8th percentile, 0 stars) in 2022–2023, and 537th of 546 (2nd percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–2026, when only 9 schools ranked below it. In 2025–2026, reported proficiency was 0% in All Grades math, 17.6% in All Grades reading, and 0% in All Grades science, compared with district rates of 46.4%, 52%, and 26.2%, and state rates of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. Eighth-grade reading was 10%, and 8th-grade math and science were each 0%. In 2024–2025, reading was 46.67% — near the district's 51.48% and the state's 49.59% — while math was 6.25%.
Several values are suppressed by the state and should be treated as unknown, not as zero or as a weakness: 7th Grade Math, 6th Grade Reading, 7th Grade Reading, and 2024–2025 Science. With only 14 students, one student can shift a percentage dramatically, and alternative programs often serve students with different needs and histories. The district's mid-range standing — 46th percentile, 2 stars — contrasts with the school's most recent 2nd percentile, 0-star rank, but these figures are best read as contextual signals about a small, resource-intensive program rather than definitive judgments.
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