Murdock Elementary, Murdock MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Murdock Elementary

Murdock Elementary is a regular public school in the small, rural community of Murdock, Minnesota, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg School District, a consolidated district that also draws from the nearby towns of Kerkhoven and Sunburg. The school sits within the town itself, integrated with a handful of local amenities like a post office and a few stores. U.S. Route 12 runs through the community, and the area is car-dependent, with most residents driving alone to work. Housing values in the area are modest, and the population has shown small recent gains, but the town remains quiet and agricultural in character.

On state assessments for the most recent testing year, Murdock Elementary’s results varied by grade and subject. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six ranged from just under half to about three-quarters of students meeting the standard, with the highest rate in third grade and lower rates in fourth and fifth. In English language arts, proficiency rates also varied, with third and fifth grades near the upper half while fourth grade was lower. Science results for fifth graders showed a lower proficiency rate, though the assessment and cut scores had changed recently, making direct comparison with prior years uncertain. Overall, across tested subjects and grades, the school’s combined proficiency index placed it in the top quartile relative to the other districts in Swift County. That is a clear area of strength: students here, on the whole, are performing well compared to the only other district in the county.

The school enrolls roughly four hundred students, with the largest grade sections in kindergarten through third grade. About two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population, and very small shares of Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about how special education and language support services are staffed and delivered.

The district’s parent-relevant changes in recent years appear to have been minimal; no ballot measures, major curriculum shifts, or bonding projects were identified in publicly available sources. That suggests a stable but lightly documented administrative environment.

Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Discipline, attendance, and course access data were also absent from available records, which means a family evaluating this school would need to seek those details from the school or district office. The school’s website and direct contact with staff would be the best way to learn about programs such as art, music, physical education, enrichment, or before- and after-care, none of which were captured in the data we reviewed.

Murdock Elementary offers a solid academic foundation grounded in strong proficiency relative to its immediate county peers, in a tightly knit rural setting where the school is part of everyday town life. The modest economic context and small size mean that a parent moving here should expect a straightforward, community-centered elementary experience with limited frills. The gaps in available data around special populations, attendance, and discipline are worth a conversation with the school, but the academic picture that is available is a positive one for a school of this size and setting.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 27 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 8 pts below state median

This schoolKERKHOVEN-MURDOCK-SUNBURG, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income72%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income49%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income68%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income66%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income58%Higher-income86%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income64%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income55%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income63%23 pp gap