SE Minnesota News

Austin Public School District had the highest enrollment among Mower County districts, welcoming 5,146 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 50.5% of them were male, and 49.5% were female.

The most represented ethnicity among Austin Public School District students was white, accounting for 41.5% of the student population.

Among the five districts in Mower County, Southland Public School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 499 students, while Grand Meadow Public School District welcomed 428 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Austin Public School District generally encompasses schools within Mower County with its main office in Austin.

In the previous school year, Austin Public School District also had the highest number of students among Mower County districts.

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.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Austin Public School District	Austin	5,146
Southland Public School District	Adams	499
Grand Meadow Public School District	Grand Meadow	428
Lyle Public School District	Lyle	309
LeRoy-Ostrander Public Schools	LeRoy	250