St. Cloud Sun

51.1 percent of Benton County students passed the Reading portion of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) test in the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of the 3,745 students who took part in the MCA, 38.6 percent met the testing standard while 12.5 percent exceeded expectations and scored highest on the test.

The total percentage of Benton County students who met or exceeded expectations grew by 4.9 percent from the previous school year.

The MCA is given annually to Minnesota students to determine the academic readiness of students. Not every grade is tested each year.

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 (%)
Rice Elementary School	17	43.4
Foley Intermediate Elementary School	13.9	44.9
Foley Elementary School	19.7	37.4
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High School	17	39.8
Mississippi Heights Elementary School	11.4	44
Pleasant View Elementary School	11.5	41.1
Foley Senior High School	8.9	41.8
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School	13.7	36.8
Lincoln Elementary School	1.3	18.5