Summary:
ZIP code 56621 covers Bagley, Minnesota, and is served by two public schools — Bagley Elementary (PK–6, 482 students) and Bagley Secondary (7–12, 388 students) — both operated by the single Bagley Public School District, for a combined 870 students. There is no separate middle school; the secondary building absorbs grades 7–8.
Comparing the two buildings, the elementary is the relative bright spot. In 2025-2026 it posted 30.3% proficiency in math and 32.9% in reading — both above its own district averages of 21.7% and 29.6% — and the highest figures in the ZIP in every subject. The secondary posted 8.5% in math and 23.9% in reading, well below those same district averages. Yet both schools land in roughly the bottom fifth of Minnesota schools, and the district is rated 1 star (14th percentile statewide). Poverty levels are similar in both buildings (59.13% and 55.41% free/reduced lunch), so economics is a shared condition rather than a divider. The elementary also has the more favorable staffing ratio, 11.2 students per teacher versus 14.6 at the secondary.
Other outcomes tell a mixed story. Bagley Secondary graduates 84.4% of its students, essentially matching the state's 84.9%, but its dropout rate of 7.7% is nearly double the state's 4.2%. Its 8th-grade results are the weakest in the data set — 3.8% in math and 10.6% in reading — while 7th-grade reading (36.4%) comes closest to the state benchmark. Science fell sharply at both schools, and every math measure declined year over year, while reading held roughly steady or improved slightly at the secondary. With only about 60–70 students per grade, single-year swings should be read with caution.
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