SC Minnesota News

Owatonna Public School District had the highest enrollment among Steele County districts, welcoming 4,995 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 50.7% of them were male, and 49.3% were female.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 69.9% of Owatonna Public School District's total enrollment.

Among the three districts in Steele County, Medford Public School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 890 students, while Blooming Prairie Public School District welcomed 864 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Owatonna Public School District generally encompasses schools within Steele County with its main office in Owatonna.

In the previous school year, Owatonna Public School District also had the highest number of students among Steele 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
Owatonna Public School District	Owatonna	4,995
Medford Public School District	Medford	890
Blooming Prairie Public School District	Blooming Prairie	864