These Are The Top Elementary Schools In MN, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

STILLWATER, MN — Gate 4/5 in Stillwater is the best public elementary school in Minnesota, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

The top 25 public elementary schools in Minnesota are:

1. Gate 4/5 – Stillwater Area Public School Dist.
2. Atheneum Elementary – Inver Grove Heights Schools
3. Scenic Heights Elementary – Minnetonka Public School District
4. St. Croix Preparatory Academy Lower – Stillwater, MN
5. Kimberly Lane Elementary – Wayzata Public School District
6. Lake Harriet Upper Elementary – Minneapolis Public Schools
7. Burroughs Elementary – Minneapolis Public Schools
8. Bridges Community Elementary – Mankato Public Schools
9. Dassel Elementary – Dassel-Cokato Public School Dist.
10. Mendota Elementary – West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Dist. 197
11. Normandale Elementary – Edina Public Schools
12. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial Elementary – Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial
13. Concord Elementary – Edina Public Schools
14. Springfield Elementary – Springfield Public Schools
15. Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy – St. Paul Public Schools
16. Plymouth Creek Elementary – Wayzata Public Schools
17. Kenny Elementary – Minneapolis Public Schools
18. Congdon Elementary – Duluth Public Schools
19. Hilltop Primary School – Westonka Public Schools
20. Oak Point Elementary – Eden Prairie Public Schools
21. Lowell Elementary – Brainerd Public Schools
22. Nova Classical Academy Lower School – St. Paul
23. Byron Intermediate School – Byron Public Schools
24. Eagle Ridge Academy Lower School – Minnetonka
25. Franklin Elementary – Mankato Public Schools

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

“The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all,” U.S. News said of the report.

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.