SC Minnesota News

There were 121 American Indian students enrolled in Blue Earth County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 8% more than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Blue Earth County welcomed 8,692 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 1.4% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in the county, Mankato East Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 23.

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 American Indian Students	% of American Indian Students	Total School Enrollment
Kato Public Charter School	6	7.7%	78
Central High Area Learning Center	6	6.1%	99
Franklin Elementary School	15	3.5%	430
Jefferson Elementary School	5	2.7%	187
Rosa Parks Elementary School	11	2.6%	416
Kennedy Elementary School	8	2.2%	363
Mankato East Senior High School	23	1.7%	1,336
Washington Elementary School	5	1.4%	370
Prairie Winds Middle School	13	1.4%	914
Mankato West Senior High School	15	1.3%	1,193
Eagle Lake Elementary School	3	1.1%	281
Roosevelt Elementary School	3	0.9%	319
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Secondary School	3	0.6%	515
Maple River Elementary	2	0.5%	419
Maple River Secondary School	2	0.4%	498
Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Elementary School	1	0.2%	432
Central Middle School ALC	0	0%	2
Central Freedom School	0	0%	3
Mankato Area Public Schools Center for Learning	0	0%	17
St. Clair Elementary School	0	0%	413
St. Clair Secondary School	0	0%	407