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Alumni: what's one memory from Mississippi Heights Elementary that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
808
Elementary
DISTRICT 489 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAUK RAPIDS-RICE PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 273288001430
Mississippi Heights Elementary
1003 S 4TH ST, SAUK RAPIDS, MN 56379 · (320) 252-0122 · Benton County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL808 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 38% of Minnesota public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
54 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
36%
289 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 121 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 140 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 122 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 153 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 139 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 133 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (121) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (133).
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Based on grade levels within Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
48.0%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
52.0%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.8%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Mississippi Heights Elementary
Mississippi Heights Elementary's state test result (43.8% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Heights Elementary this school | 808 | 35.8% | 43.8% |
| INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY BIG LAKE | 758 | 35.4% | 46.3% |
| LIBERTY ELEMENTARY BIG LAKE | 756 | 34.4% | N/A |
| Pinewood Elementary MONTICELLO | 794 | 35.0% | 52.5% |
| Princeton Intermediate School PRINCETON | 675 | 38.7% | 46.8% |
| JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY NEW ULM | 643 | 37.6% | 49.6% |
Matched among Minnesota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Mississippi Heights Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.8% | #455 of 844 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #403 of 844 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.0% | #430 of 844 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 808 | #31 of 1,130 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #549 of 769 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 35.7% | #515 of 796 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 35.8% | #592 of 942 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -22.2% | #128 of 499 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
808
-100 (-11%) vs 2020
+140% since 1990-91, when it was 337
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 14.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 808 | 53.6 | 15.1:1 | 36% (289) |
| 2023-24 | 817 | 55.6 | 14.7:1 | 37% (306) |
| 2022-23 | 848 | 57.9 | 14.7:1 | 40% (338) |
| 2020-21 | 908 | 62 | 14.7:1 | 26% (234) |
| 2017-18 | 1,038 | 52.8 | 19.6:1 | 27% (278) |
| 2015-16 | 931 | 48 | 19.4:1 | 33% (310) |
| 2010-11 | 746 | 39 | 19.1:1 | 34% (251) |
| 2000-01 | 354 | 21 | 16.9:1 | 23% (83) |
| 1990-91 | 337 | 14 | 24.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mississippi Heights Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 22% (1,038 to 808); teachers up 2% (52.8 to 53.6).
About Mississippi Heights Elementary
Located in SAUK RAPIDS, Minnesota, Mississippi Heights Elementary is a large elementary school. A federal count lists 808 students at the school, in kindergarten through 5. An average school in this group (elementary schools in Minnesota) has about 344 students.
Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools counts 6 schools and 4,331 students, including Mississippi Heights Elementary.
Roughly 79% of students at Mississippi Heights Elementary are White. Enrollment also includes 9% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, and 4% Black. The school's diversity index is 36%, meaning two students picked at random have a 36% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Teachers at the school number 53.6 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 15.1:1. On average, elementary schools in Minnesota have 13.7:1, compared with 15.1:1 here. The school's lunch program data list 36% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Benton County average 35%.
Mississippi Heights Elementary is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 38% of Minnesota public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Mississippi Heights Elementary is 45.8%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 43.8%.
Census estimates describe Benton County this way: the median household income is $74,410, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. In all, Benton County has 16 public schools and roughly 6,680 students.
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School is the public school closest to Mississippi Heights Elementary, about 0.3 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 27.9% on proficiency, and Mississippi Heights Elementary is above that at 43.8%.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Mid-size: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Mississippi Heights Elementary's enrollment dropped from 908 in 2020-21 to 808 in 2024-25.
Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Benton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
41,593
Census ACS
Median income
$74,410
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
16
6,680 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools
- Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior HighHigh · 1,319 students
- Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,055 students
- Pleasantview ElementaryElementary · 734 students
- Rice ElementaryElementary · 357 students
- Hillside Early Childhood CenterElementary · 58 students
- Sauk Rapids ECFEElementary
Other schools in SAUK RAPIDS
- Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior HighHigh · 1,319 students
- Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,055 students
- Pleasantview ElementaryElementary · 734 students
- ALC - Sauk RapidsHigh · 59 students
- Hillside Early Childhood CenterElementary · 58 students
- Benton-Stearns Education DistrictHigh · 24 students
Nearby schools
- Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School0.3 mi · 1,055
- Benton-Stearns Education District0.5 mi · 24
- Benton Stearns Education District 10.5 mi · 17
- Hillside Early Childhood Center0.6 mi · 58
- ST. CLOUD HOSPITAL PROGRAMS NON-RES1.3 mi · 18
- St Cloud Hospital Progs-Residential1.3 mi · 6
Frequently asked questions
About Mississippi Heights ElementaryHow many students attend Mississippi Heights Elementary?
Mississippi Heights Elementary enrolls approximately 808 students in grades KG-05.
Is Mississippi Heights Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Mississippi Heights Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at Mississippi Heights Elementary?
Approximately 15.1:1 students per teacher at Mississippi Heights Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Mississippi Heights Elementary?
At Mississippi Heights Elementary, the student body is approximately 79% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Mississippi Heights Elementary public or private?
Mississippi Heights Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.