Mesabi East School District

The Mesabi East School District in Minnesota consists of two schools: Mesabi East Elementary and Mesabi East Secondary. While both schools serve the same district, the data analysis reveals that Mesabi East Secondary is the standout performer, ranking in the top 36% of Minnesota high schools and outpacing the district and state averages on several key metrics.

Mesabi East Secondary boasts a strong 94.4% four-year graduation rate and a low 1.3% dropout rate, indicating that the school is effectively supporting its students. Additionally, the secondary school outperforms the district and state on 10th-grade reading proficiency, with 55% of students scoring proficient or better, compared to 52.22% statewide. However, the school lags behind on math proficiency, with only 26.92% of 11th-graders scoring proficient or better, compared to 34.99% statewide.

In contrast, Mesabi East Elementary struggles to keep pace, earning only 2 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger and performing below the district and state averages on many math and reading proficiency measures. The elementary school does have a more diverse student population, with 13.29% non-white students compared to 8.43% at the secondary school, but this diversity does not seem to translate to stronger academic performance. Additionally, the elementary school has a higher free and reduced lunch rate, which may be a contributing factor to its lower test scores.