SW Minnesota Today

There were 42 American Indian students enrolled in Pipestone County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 10.5% more than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Pipestone County welcomed 1,559 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 2.7% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the seven schools in the county, Pipestone Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 20.

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 American Indian Students	% of American Indian Students	Total School Enrollment
Pipestone Elementary School	20	3.9%	518
Pipestone Middle School	8	3.4%	238
Pipestone Senior High School	9	2.8%	320
SWWC Alternative Learning Center - Pipestone	1	2.4%	42
Edgerton Elementary School	2	1%	209
Edgerton Secondary School	2	0.9%	221
Heartland Elementary School	0	0%	11