SC Minnesota News

There were 359 Black students enrolled in Steele County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 6% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Steele County welcomed 6,891 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 5.2% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 14 schools in the county, Owatonna Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 105.

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.

School Name	No. of Black Students	% of Black Students	Total School Enrollment
McKinley Elementary School	74	15.3%	483
Owatonna Alternative Learning Center 9-12	11	12.2%	90
Wilson Elementary School	60	10.7%	560
Owatonna Senior High School	105	7%	1,494
Owatonna Middle School	69	6.8%	1,015
Washington Elementary School	15	3.1%	484
CHOICE Technical Academy	1	2.3%	44
Lincoln Elementary School	11	1.8%	609
NRHEG Elementary School	4	1.1%	358
Medford Secondary School	3	0.8%	399
Blooming Prairie Elementary School	2	0.6%	342
Blooming Prairie High School	2	0.5%	380
Medford Elementary School	2	0.4%	491
Blooming Prairie Intermediate School	0	0%	142