SC Minnesota News

There were 323 Black students enrolled in Nicollet County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.1% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Nicollet County welcomed 4,391 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 7.4% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 11 schools in the county, Dakota Meadows Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 70.

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
Hoover Elementary School	55	11.2%	493
Monroe Elementary School	45	11.1%	405
Dakota Meadows Middle School	70	7.9%	886
St. Peter Middle School	46	7.7%	596
St. Peter High School	55	7.7%	711
North Elementary School	29	6.9%	423
South Elementary School	10	3.7%	271
Bridges Community Elementary School	7	2.8%	250
Nicollet Elementary School	4	2.5%	163
Nicollet High School	2	1.2%	170
Rock Bend High School Alternative Learning Center	0	0%	23