St. Cloud Sun

There were 2,130 Hispanic students enrolled in Stearns County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 6.5% more than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Stearns County welcomed 23,331 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 9.1% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 47 schools in the county, Apollo Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 162.

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
Melrose Elementary School	157	33%	476
Melrose Middle School	90	31.5%	286
Melrose Secondary School	133	26.4%	504
Discovery Community Elementary School	127	23.5%	540
West Central Area Learning Center	6	20.7%	29
Sauk Centre Elementary School	73	19.3%	378
Sauk Centre Middle School	23	17.4%	132
Cold Spring Elementary School	114	17%	670
Athlos Academy of Saint Cloud	41	16%	256
Westwood Elementary School	72	15.9%	452
ROCORI Middle School	76	14.1%	541
North Junior High School	97	13.8%	701
Apollo Senior High School	162	13.2%	1,230
Rockville Elementary School	17	13.1%	130
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Elementary School	34	10.9%	313
ROCORI Senior High School	93	10.8%	861
Sauk Centre Secondary School	65	10.5%	620
Madison Elementary School	70	10.4%	671
Kennedy Community School	62	10.2%	608
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Sec.	31	9.8%	317
Oak Ridge Early Learning Center	24	7.8%	306
Richmond Elementary School	10	7.8%	128
St. Cloud Area Learning Center	18	7.8%	231
South Junior High School	65	7.5%	866
Technical Senior High School	101	6.6%	1,538
Paynesville Area Secondary School	29	6%	484
Oak Hill Community Elementary School	43	5.7%	752
Eden Valley Elementary School	21	5.4%	391
Kimball Elementary School	17	5.3%	323
Pine Meadow Primary School	27	5.1%	534
Rocori Alternative Learning Center	1	4.8%	21
Paynesville Area Elementary School	19	4.4%	436
Sartell Middle School	42	4.3%	976
Riverview Intermediate School	36	3.9%	915
STRIDE Academy K-8 Charter School	23	3.9%	588
Avon Elementary School	11	3.8%	291
Sartell Senior High School	43	3.3%	1,315
Albany Elementary School	15	3.1%	478
Albany Area High School	14	2.5%	560
Albany Area Middle School	10	2.1%	470
Holdingford Secondary School	9	1.8%	513
Kimball Secondary School	7	1.7%	425
Holdingford Elementary School	2	0.4%	564
St. Cloud Math & Science Academy Middle School	0	0%	85
Success Academy Saint Cloud	0	0%	185
ALC - Sartell	0	0%	1
Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy Charter School	0	0%	240