St. Cloud Sun

St. Cloud Public School District had the highest enrollment among Stearns County districts, welcoming 9,543 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 52.8% of them were male, and 47.2% were female.

The most represented ethnicity among St. Cloud Public School District students was Black, accounting for 40.3% of the student population.

Among the 15 districts in Stearns County, Sartell-St. Stephen School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 4,046 students, while ROCORI Public School District welcomed 2,414 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

St. Cloud Public School District generally encompasses schools within Stearns County with its main office in Waite Park.

In the previous school year, St. Cloud Public School District also had the highest number of students among Stearns County districts.

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.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
St. Cloud Public School District	Waite Park	9,543
Sartell-St. Stephen School District	Sartell	4,046
ROCORI Public School District	Cold Spring	2,414
Albany Public School District	Albany	1,799
Melrose Public School District	Melrose	1,266
Sauk Centre Public School District	Sauk Centre	1,130
Holdingford Public School District	Holdingford	1,077
Paynesville Area Schools	Paynesville	920
Kimball Public School District	Kimball	748
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Public School District	Belgrade	630
STRIDE Academy	Saint Cloud	588
Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy Charter School	Saint Cloud	325
Athlos Academy of Saint Cloud	Saint Cloud	256
Benton-Stearns Education District	Sartell	163
West Central Education District	Melrose	73