Sartell St. Stephen High School Ranked in Top 20 Best High Schools in the State According to U.S. News & World Report

(KNSI) — U.S. News & World Report is out with its Best High Schools list, and several central Minnesota districts were among them.

The study ranked 17,680 schools nationally and 400 schools in Minnesota. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation rates and how well they prepare students for college.

For the second year in a row, Sartell St. Stephen came in at 18th best in the state, 1,224th nationally, and the number one best high school in the St. Cloud metro area. There are 1,354 students enrolled, according to numbers provided by the school to the government. Sartell has a 22:1 student/teacher ratio. The school’s math (66%), reading (75%) and science (74%) proficiency scores are well above the statewide scores of 40%, 60% and 50%, respectively. Sartell also boasts a 97% graduation rate above the state median.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the graduation rate for the class of 2022 was 83.6% or 58,586 students.

Sartell’s College Readiness Index came in at 42.3 out of 100. The index is a weighted average based 25% on the AP® or IB participation rate and 75% on the quality-adjusted AP® or IB participation rate. Both exams are used when applicable.

Sauk Rapids Rice ranked 70th in the state, 4,230 in national rankings and number two in the St. Cloud metro area. With 1,384 students enrolled, it has a student to teacher ratio of 18:1. The students’ math (53%), reading (59%) and science (64%) proficiency scores were at or above the statewide scores. The school’s graduation rate is 85%, slightly below the state median. Its college readiness index was 25.3 out of a possible 100.

St. Cloud Technical High School ranked #156 in Minnesota and 8,954 nationally and came in fourth locally. With 1,537 students enrolled, it has a student to teacher ratio of 24:1. The school’s math (38%), reading (45%), and science (38%) proficiency scores were all below statewide scores. With a graduation rate of 77%, that too was below the state median. Its college readiness index was 27.9 out of a possible 100.

St. Cloud Apollo High School was ranked 159th in Minnesota, 9,055 nationally and fifth best in the St. Cloud metro area. With 1,301 students enrolled, it has a student to teacher ratio of 21:1. The school’s math (24%), reading (44%), and science (44%) proficiency scores were below state median. Apollo had a 79% graduation rate. Its college readiness index is 26.4 out of a possible 100.

District 742 had an issue with the data it provided the Minnesota Department of Education. There was an error by the district in reporting information to the MDE, resulting in an error showing an inaccurate drop in the number of graduates. Superintendent Laurie Putnam explained that the district inadvertently provided incomplete data to the state, and the MDE report does not reflect gains made by District 742 seniors. “Upon review, it is clear the data inaccurately accounts for our actual performance.” This report does not say if the data it used was the initial or the corrected data.

See how the rest of the schools in the St. Cloud area ranked by clicking here.

Other schools in central Minnesota that made the rankings include Becker, Monticello, Princeton and St. Michael Albertville.

See the list here.

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