3 Mendota Heights Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — Several elementary and middle schools in Mendota Heights have been ranked among the best in Minnesota, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Somerset Elementary as the highest in the state among schools in Mendota Heights, according to the new list, ranking #104.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Mendota Heights ranked compared with others in the state:

#104 in best elementary schools: Somerset Elementary, ISD 197
#152 in best elementary schools: Mendota Elementary, ISD 197
#132 in best middle schools: Friendly Hills Middle, ISD 197

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Schools were also ranked by district. Here’s how elementary schools in ISD 197 measured up:

ISD 197 elementary schools:

1. Somerset Elementary
2. Mendota Elementary
3. Pilot Knob Stem Magnet School
4. Garlough Environmental Magnet (tied for 4)
5. Moreland Art/Health Science Magnet (tied for 4)

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.