SE Twin Cities

Rice County saw 38.7% of their students pass the Science portion of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of the 1,807 students who took part in the MCA, 30.8% met the testing standard while 7.9% exceeded expectations and scored highest on the test.

The passing rate among Rice County students grew by 3% from the previous school year.

The MCA and the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota's academic standards and also meet federal and state legislative requirements. The tests cover math, reading and science, depending on the grade that is being tested. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility requirements may take the MTAS instead.

Analysis from The Nation's Report Card showed math and reading scores have fallen significantly in the last decade. Science scores have been steady in recent years.

School name	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)
Arcadia Charter School	45.2%	9.7%
Bridgewater Elementary School	50%	12.8%
Cannon River STEM School	28.1%	3.1%
Discovery Public School of Faribault	17.7%	0%
Faribault Area Learning Center	0%	0%
Faribault Middle School	11.7%	1.2%
Faribault Senior High School	22.9%	4.8%
Greenvale Park Elementary School	58.4%	5.2%
Jefferson Elementary School	15.5%	0%
Lincoln Elementary School	32%	6.7%
Lonsdale Pre K-6	38.5%	10.3%
Morristown Elementary School	55.1%	4.1%
Nerstrand Charter School	46.2%	0%
Northfield Area Learning Center	23.1%	0%
Northfield Middle School	38.3%	7.6%
Northfield Senior High School	35.7%	21.2%
Roosevelt Elementary School	20.9%	1.5%
Spring Creek Elementary School	41.8%	12.7%
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr.	19.4%	4.8%