Total enrollment
7,068
+169 (+2%) vs SY 2017-18
Mower County
Minnesota · Public K-12
In Mower County, Minnesota, the public-school system rolls up to 34 schools and roughly 7,434 K-12 students, with county median household income around $73,074. By grade band, the county runs 11 elementary, 5 middle, and 11 high schools.
7-year change in Mower County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
30
+2 (+7%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
50%
was 60%
% Hispanic
27%
was 22%
% Black
7%
was 7%
% Asian
10%
was 7%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Schools
34
8 districts
Enrollment
7,434
NCES CCD
Median income
$73,074
Below Minnesota avg
Free/reduced lunch
55.0%
Above Minnesota avg
Elementary
11
3,106 students
Middle
5
1,775 students
High
11
2,392 students
Combined / other
7
161 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
Austin Public School District
5,385 students · 8 districts in Mower County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Mower County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
23.9%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
6.9%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
3.9%
civilian labor
Median age
39
25.5% under 18
Test scores in Mower County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 17 schools ranked. Minnesota state average: 49.9%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- Southland Senior High· 73.6%
- GRAND MEADOW SENIOR HIGH· 62.2%
- GRAND MEADOW MIDDLE· 58.2%
- Southland Elementary· 52.4%
- GRAND MEADOW ELEMENTARY· 51.5%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- Sumner Elementary· 15.8%
- Banfield Elementary· 23.6%
- LEROY SECONDARY· 27.8%
- LYLE ELEMENTARY· 30.0%
- Lyle Middle· 30.6%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Senior High | Austin | High | 09-12 | 1,485 | · |
| Ellis Middle | Austin | Middle | 07-08 | 726 | · |
| I.J. Holton Intermediate School | Austin | Middle | 05-06 | 712 | · |
| Banfield Elementary | Austin | Elementary | PK-04 | 574 | · |
| Southgate Elementary | Austin | Elementary | PK-04 | 539 | · |
| Sumner Elementary | Austin | Elementary | PK-04 | 387 | · |
| Neveln Elementary | Austin | Elementary | PK-04 | 381 | · |
| WOODSON KINDERGARTEN CENTER | Austin | Elementary | PK-KG | 366 | · |
| Southland Elementary | Adams | Elementary | PK-05 | 223 | · |
| CLC - Pre-Kindergarten | Austin | Elementary | PK-PK | 210 | · |
| Southland Senior High | Adams | High | 09-12 | 190 | · |
| Austin Area Learning Center | Austin | High | 06-12 | 172 | · |
| GRAND MEADOW ELEMENTARY | Grand Meadow | Elementary | PK-04 | 172 | · |
| GRAND MEADOW SENIOR HIGH | Grand Meadow | High | 09-12 | 140 | · |
| LEROY SECONDARY | Leroy | High | 06-12 | 138 | · |
| GRAND MEADOW MIDDLE | Grand Meadow | Middle | 05-08 | 131 | · |
| LYLE ELEMENTARY | Lyle | Elementary | PK-04 | 125 | · |
| LEROY ELEMENTARY | Leroy | Elementary | PK-06 | 120 | · |
| Austin Online Academy | Austin | High | 06-12 | 111 | · |
| Southland Middle | Adams | Middle | 06-08 | 107 | · |
| Lyle Middle | Lyle | Middle | 05-08 | 99 | · |
| Austin Community Learning Center | Austin | Combined | PK-12 | 87 | · |
| Lyle High School | Lyle | High | 09-12 | 82 | · |
| SMEC ALC | Austin | High | 05-12 | 70 | · |
| Oakland Education Center | Austin | Combined | PK-12 | 40 | · |
| CARDS Program | Leroy | Combined | PK-12 | 16 | · |
| RESET | Austin | Combined | 01-12 | 11 | · |
| First Step Adams | Adams | Elementary | PK-PK | 9 | · |
| Enrich GM | Grand Meadow | Combined | KG-12 | 6 | · |
| Next Step East (Grand Meadow) | Grand Meadow | High | 08-12 | 4 | · |
| New Dominion Academy | Austin | Combined | KG-12 | 1 | · |
| Austin Area Learning Cntr. - Summer | Austin | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| SMEC Credit Recovery | Austin | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| Austin Albert Lea Area Sp Ed Coop | Austin | Combined | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Mower County
About Mower County
Across the compact Minnesota county of Mower County of about 40,343 residents, the public-school footprint covers 34 schools and about 7,434 students.
In context, census numbers show the median household earns about $73,074 a year, about 24% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and the federal-poverty share is near 7%. That income level is 6% noticeably below the Minnesota median.
In terms of grade levels, Mower County is built around 11 elementary schools (3,106 students), 5 middle schools (1,775), 11 high schools (2,392), and 7 combined or other schools.
The largest single district in Mower County is Austin Public School District, which alone enrolls about 5,385 students.
Looking at the last 7 years. Total public-school enrollment in Mower County has stayed largely flat since SY 2017-18, moving from about 6,899 students to 7,068. Mower County now counts 30 public schools, up from 28 in SY 2017-18. The White share of public-school enrollment declined from 60% to 50%.
On this page, the community for Mower County discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.
Frequently asked questions
Mower County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data