Can I use Aitkin County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Aitkin County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Aitkin County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Aitkin County?

Start with the 9 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Aitkin County Schools & Education

Name: Aitkin County, Minnesota Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Aitkin County, Minnesota

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

64/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

89.4%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

89.4%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 86.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$9,282

National avg $13,239

State avg $8,463

School Score

64/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 55/100

State Score Position

#24

of 87 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Aitkin County

Measured School Summary

Aitkin County performs at an average level with a school score of 64/100 and a solid graduation rate of 89.4%.

Funding Context

Aitkin County spends $9,282 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 16% above the Minnesota average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 2.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 10% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Aitkin County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

9 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

64/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #24 of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data.

Completion

89.4%

2.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$9,282

$819 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Aitkin County has 9 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Aitkin County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Aitkin County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

#24

of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data. The county score is 9 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

1,028 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 2Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

452 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 2Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

256 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 3 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Aitkin County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Aitkin County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Aitkin County School Scores Outpace State and National Medians

Education data brief for Aitkin County, Minnesota.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:School score

Aitkin County reports a composite school score of 63.6, a figure notably higher than the Minnesota state average of 54.9 and the national median of 50.0. This score reflects outcomes across a small, entirely rural educational landscape consisting of nine public schools. The Aitkin Public School District is the largest in the county, enrolling 1,028 students out of a total county enrollment of 1,736. Secondary education is concentrated at Aitkin Secondary School, which serves 526 students in grades 7 through 12. The county's graduation rate stands at 89.4%, slightly exceeding the state average of 86.6% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $9,282, which is higher than the state average of $8,463 but remains below the national average of approximately $13,000. All nine schools in the county are classified as rural by the NCES, and there are currently no charter schools operating within the county boundaries. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Aitkin County

Reported Enrollment

1,736

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle1

High5

Other0

3 School Districts in Aitkin County

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

3 schools

1,028 students

MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

3 schools

452 students

HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

3 schools

256 students

9 Public Schools in Aitkin County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 9 of 9 matching schools

Public schools in Aitkin County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
AITKIN SECONDARY SCHOOL	Record	AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	AITKIN, 56431Rural: Distant	7–12	High	526
RIPPLESIDE ELEMENTARY	Record	AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	AITKIN, 56431Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	493
MCGREGOR ELEMENTARY	Record	MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	MCGREGOR, 55760Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	233
MCGREGOR SECONDARY	Record	MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	MCGREGOR, 55760Rural: Remote	7–12	High	216
HILL CITY ELEMENTARY	Record	HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	HILL CITY, 55748Rural: Remote	PK–4	Primary	104
HILL CITY SENIOR HIGH	Record	HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	HILL CITY, 55748Rural: Remote	9–12	High	85
Hill City Middle School	Record	HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	HILL CITY, 55748Rural: Remote	5–8	Middle	67
AITKIN ALTERNATIVE LEARNING PROGRAM	Record	AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	AITKIN, 56431Rural: Distant	8–12	Alternative	9
MCGREGOR AREA LEARNING PROGRAM	Record	MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	MCGREGOR, 55760Rural: Remote	8–12	Alternative	3

AITKIN SECONDARY SCHOOL

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

AITKIN, 56431 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High526 students

RIPPLESIDE ELEMENTARY

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

AITKIN, 56431 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary493 students

MCGREGOR ELEMENTARY

MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

MCGREGOR, 55760 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary233 students

MCGREGOR SECONDARY

MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

MCGREGOR, 55760 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High216 students

HILL CITY ELEMENTARY

HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HILL CITY, 55748 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–4Primary104 students

HILL CITY SENIOR HIGH

HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HILL CITY, 55748 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High85 students

Hill City Middle School

HILL CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

HILL CITY, 55748 / Rural: Remote

Record5–8Middle67 students

AITKIN ALTERNATIVE LEARNING PROGRAM

AITKIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

AITKIN, 56431 / Rural: Distant

Record8–12Alternative9 students

MCGREGOR AREA LEARNING PROGRAM

MCGREGOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

MCGREGOR, 55760 / Rural: Remote

Record8–12Alternative3 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$9,282

State avg $8,463

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Aitkin County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Minnesota counties have the highest graduation rates?

Jackson County (95.7%), Cottonwood County (95.3%), and Cook County (95.0%) currently lead Minnesota among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Minnesota?

Across Minnesota counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $8,463. The highest current county values are Cook County ($12,089), Kittson County ($10,301), and Beltrami County ($10,167). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Aitkin County?

Aitkin County has a school score of 64/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Aitkin County?

The high school graduation rate in Aitkin County is 89.4%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Aitkin County spend per student?

Aitkin County spends $9,282 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Nicollet County

Minnesota

-0 pts

64/100

School score

Traverse County

Minnesota

-0 pts

63/100

School score

Washington County

Minnesota

+0 pts

64/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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