The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Nerstrand Charter School
Nerstrand Charter School is a single-school, K through 5 charter district in Rice County, Minnesota. For a family considering it, this is a small elementary setting with clear academic results and a limited set of publicly available details about its operations or community context.
The school is small. Its enrollment is modest for a K-5 district, with each grade carrying a class size in the low to middle range for an elementary school. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of Black students and a small number of students identifying as two or more races. Data on students receiving free or reduced-price meals, students with an individualized education plan, and English learners was not available, so a parent cannot assess the breadth of support programs or the economic diversity of the student body from this data alone. The school's location within Rice County was not specified in the data, and the locale brief for the town was absent.
Academically, the school presents a mixed picture. On the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, proficiency rates in math and reading vary by grade. In math, the third-grade cohort posted a solid proficiency rate, while fourth and fifth grades showed lower rates. In reading, the fifth-grade cohort performed well, with a strong majority of students meeting proficiency, while third and fourth grades had smaller shares reaching that bar. Science testing, which occurs only in fifth grade, showed a smaller share of students proficient, though a parent may want to note that the state made changes to the science test and its cut scores, making direct comparison to prior years uncertain. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Rice County's districts, a strong relative position. However, a parent looking at the individual grade-level results will see variation that suggests not every cohort performs at the same level.
The school's chronic absenteeism rate was reported and is notably low, falling in the top quartile among the county's districts. This is a positive indicator that students are attending regularly. There is no graduation rate, as the school serves only elementary grades and does not have high school students.
Per-pupil current spending sits in the lower range among the county's districts for which data was available. Without a breakdown of how those funds are allocated, this figure alone tells a parent little about the resources available in the classroom. The data did not include information on course access, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or any specific programs offered. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes, reporting only general descriptive information about this single-school charter district.
In sum, Nerstrand Charter School is a small, predominantly white K-5 charter with solid relative proficiency compared to other Rice County districts, though its grade-level results vary. The chronic absenteeism rate is low. A parent considering this school will want to inquire directly about special education services, English learner support, after-school care, and any specific educational philosophy or curriculum the school follows, as those details were not available in this data. The lack of community context and town-level information means a family will need to research the area separately to understand the housing market, commute, and local amenities.
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