Rice County Education: 852 Black students were enrolled in schools in 2023-24 school year

Willie Jett Commissioner of Education Minnesota Department of Education | Office of Gov. Tim Walz

By SE Twin Cities

May 4, 2025

There were 852 Black students enrolled in Rice County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.9% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Rice County welcomed 7,889 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 10.8% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in the county, Faribault Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 161.

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.

Ethnicities in Rice County County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Rice County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School Name	No. of Black Students	% of Black Students	Total School Enrollment
Surad Academy	66	100%	66
Jefferson Elementary School	159	40.3%	395
Lincoln Elementary School	112	26.5%	423
Faribault Middle School	153	24.1%	636
Roosevelt Elementary School	98	23.4%	418
Faribault Senior High School	161	16.8%	961
Faribault Area Learning Center	11	11.1%	99
Northfield Area Learning Center	8	6.1%	131
Greenvale Park Elementary School	17	3.5%	482
Nerstrand Charter School	3	3.1%	98
Arcadia Charter School	2	2%	100
Lonsdale Pre K-6	6	2%	305
Northfield Senior High School	24	1.9%	1,295
Bridgewater Elementary School	9	1.6%	563
Northfield Middle School	13	1.5%	850
Spring Creek Elementary School	6	1.3%	462
Morristown Elementary School	1	0.9%	118
Cannon River STEM School	2	0.9%	234
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr.	1	0.9%	113
Northfield Community Education Center	0	0%	92
Discovery Public School of Faribault	0	0%	48