SC Minnesota News

Mankato Public School District had the highest enrollment among Blue Earth County districts, welcoming 8,276 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 52.2% of them were male, and 47.8% were female.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 69% of Mankato Public School District's total enrollment.

Among the five districts in Blue Earth County, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial ranked second in enrollment numbers with 961 students, while Maple River School District welcomed 944 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Mankato Public School District generally encompasses schools within Blue Earth County with its main office in Mankato.

In the previous school year, Mankato Public School District also had the highest number of students among Blue Earth County districts.

According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Minnesota's fourth graders scored 241 in math, just above the national average of 237. Their reading score of 216 was on par with the U.S. average, but shows a slight decline over recent years. Eighth graders scored 284 in math and 264 in reading, both above the national averages. 

However, despite these results, both grade levels remain below pre-pandemic levels in math and reading.

As of 2024, according to Public School Review, the student-to-teacher ratio in Minnesota's public schools stands at 1:16, slightly worse than the national average of 1:15. This is part of a larger framework within Minnesota's educational system, which is the 10th largest in the United States, accommodating over 869,000 students across 2,709 public schools.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Mankato Public School District	Mankato	8,276
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial	Lake Crystal	961
Maple River School District	Mapleton	944
St. Clair Public School District	Saint Clair	820
Kato Public Charter School	Mankato	78