The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Raptor Program
The Raptor Program is a special education school serving grades two through twelve in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is one of the schools within the River Bend Education District, which is a special education cooperative that serves member districts rather than being a traditional geographic school district. The program operates out of an address on South Broadway in the southern part of New Ulm.
This is a small and highly specialized setting. The school's total enrollment is small, which is typical for a program of its type. The students are predominantly white, with a small share identifying as Hispanic. About a third of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves a broad grade span, with a few students in each grade from third through eleventh, and none in second or twelfth in the most recent data.
Because the Raptor Program is a special education school serving a particular population of students with identified needs, the standard measures of academic performance should be understood in that context. State testing data was reported for math and reading in grades four through eight, but the results showed low proficiency rates, with math at zero percent and reading at just over a third of students meeting standards. Science results for the fifth and eighth grades were suppressed due to the very small number of test takers, which is a common practice to protect student privacy. A parent looking at these figures should understand that the students in this program may take the general state assessments and alternate assessments, and the low rates reflect the population the school is designed to serve, not a typical general education setting. The program is placed in the bottom quartile on a proficiency index when compared to districts in Brown County, but again, the comparison is not apples-to-apples given the school's mission.
There is no graduation rate available, likely because the school serves a small number of students across many grade levels and may not have a traditional high school exit cohort in a given year. A parent may want to ask the school directly about post-secondary transition outcomes for older students.
The River Bend Education District is a cooperative, and the Raptor Program is one of its specialized placements. The district brief, which looked for parent-relevant changes like boundary revisions or program expansions, found none that were publicly reported. This is not unusual for a special education cooperative, where operational changes may happen quietly at the member-district level rather than as headline news.
New Ulm, where the program is located, is the county seat of Brown County. It is a community with a stable population, a historic downtown, and a strong German cultural heritage. The economy is anchored by agriculture, food processing, light manufacturing, and the August Schell Brewing Company. The town has a compact downtown with civic institutions, parks, and a few festivals during the year. Housing values in the area are a bit below the state-wide median. For a family whose child is placed in the Raptor Program, the town offers a small-city environment with basic amenities, a library, and some recreational space at Flandrau State Park.
This is a program that exists to support students who require special education services beyond what a typical school can provide. A family considering it is likely already engaged with the special education process through their home district. The academic results do not reflect a typical school, and the environment is one of close, specialized support in a small group setting. A parent should speak directly with the program staff about individualized goals, daily structure, and how the program works with the student's home district to deliver services.
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