SC Minnesota News

New Ulm Public School District had the highest enrollment among Brown County districts, welcoming 2,135 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 52.3% of them were male, and 47.7% were female.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 89.3% of New Ulm Public School District's total enrollment.

Among the five districts in Brown County, Springfield Public School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 599 students, while Sleepy Eye Public School District welcomed 596 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

New Ulm Public School District generally encompasses schools within Brown County with its main office in New Ulm.

In the previous school year, New Ulm Public School District also had the highest number of students among Brown 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
New Ulm Public School District	New Ulm	2,135
Springfield Public School District	Springfield	599
Sleepy Eye Public School District	Sleepy Eye	596
River Bend Education District	New Ulm	185
Comfrey Public School District	Comfrey	105