SE Twin Cities

There were 1,662 Hispanic students enrolled in Rice County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.5% more 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, Hispanic students comprised 21.1% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in the county, Faribault Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 272.

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 Hispanic Students	% of Hispanic Students	Total School Enrollment
Faribault Area Learning Center	39	39.4%	99
Roosevelt Elementary School	159	38%	418
Faribault Middle School	215	33.8%	636
Lincoln Elementary School	132	31.2%	423
Jefferson Elementary School	122	30.9%	395
Faribault Senior High School	272	28.3%	961
Cannon River STEM School	56	23.9%	234
Greenvale Park Elementary School	111	23%	482
Northfield Area Learning Center	29	22.1%	131
Northfield Community Education Center	20	21.7%	92
Discovery Public School of Faribault	9	18.8%	48
Northfield Senior High School	219	16.9%	1,295
Bridgewater Elementary School	83	14.7%	563
Spring Creek Elementary School	57	12.3%	462
Northfield Middle School	91	10.7%	850
Arcadia Charter School	10	10%	100
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr.	10	8.9%	113
Lonsdale Pre K-6	25	8.2%	305
Morristown Elementary School	3	2.5%	118
Nerstrand Charter School	0	0%	98
Surad Academy	0	0%	66