5 Northfield Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

NORTHFIELD, MN — Several elementary and middle schools in Northfield 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 Northfield Middle as the highest in the state among schools in Northfield, according to the new list, ranking #47.

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

#125 in elementary schools: Bridgewater Elementary, Northfield Public School District
#225 in elementary schools: Sibley Elementary, Northfield Public School District
#302 in elementary schools: Prairie Creek Community School, Prairie Creek Community School
#409 in elementary schools: Greenvale Park Elementary, Northfield Public School District
#47 in middle schools: Northfield Middle, Northfield Public School District

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 Northfield Public School District measured up:

Northfield Public School District elementary schools:

1. Bridgewater Elementary
2. Greenvale Park Elementary
3. Sibley Elementary

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.