SC Minnesota News

There were 14 Black students enrolled in Brown County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 26.3% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Brown County welcomed 3,495 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 0.4% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 11 schools in the county, New Ulm Middle School and Jefferson Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with four.

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
River Bend Area Learning Center	1	1.7%	60
Sleepy Eye Sec.	2	0.8%	247
New Ulm Middle School	4	0.7%	609
Jefferson Elementary School	4	0.6%	624
New Ulm High School	3	0.4%	712
Washington Learning Center	0	0%	190
Springfield Secondary School	0	0%	299
Springfield Elementary School	0	0%	300
Sleepy Eye Elementary School	0	0%	349
Comfrey Secondary School	0	0%	56
Comfrey Elementary School	0	0%	49