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

No. Use the Big Stone 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 Big Stone 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 Big Stone County?

Start with the 8 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Big Stone County Schools & Education

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

Big Stone County, Minnesota

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

School Score

76/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

93.3%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

93.3%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 86.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$8,605

National avg $13,239

State avg $8,463

School Score

76/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 55/100

State Score Position

of 87 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Big Stone County

Measured School Summary

Big Stone County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 76/100 and a graduation rate of 93.3%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

Big Stone County spends $8,605 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 37% above the Minnesota average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 6.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 2% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Big Stone 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

8 public schools and 2 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

76/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #8 of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data.

Completion

93.3%

6.7 pts above the state average

Funding context

$8,605

$142 above the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Big Stone County has 8 public schools across 2 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 Big Stone 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.

Small-system county

Big Stone County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data. The county score is 21 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.

ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

479 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

Elementary and high visible

312 students

Elementary 3Middle 0High 3Other 0

6 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY is the largest listed district slice, with 6 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 Big Stone County?

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

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

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

Big Stone County Composite School Scores Reach 75.6

Education data brief for Big Stone County, Minnesota.

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

Lead metric:School score

Big Stone County stands out for its high composite school score of 75.6, which is significantly higher than the Minnesota state average of 54.9 and the national median of 50.0. The county's educational system is small and entirely rural, comprising eight public schools with a total enrollment of just 791 students. The average school size is 99 students, the lowest among the eight-county group. Ortonville Public Schools is the larger of the two districts, serving 479 students, with Knoll Elementary being the largest school at 246 students. The graduation rate in Big Stone County is also high at 93.3%, surpassing the state average of 86.6% and the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is $8,605, roughly aligned with the state average of $8,463 but below the national average of $13,000. There are no charter or alternative schools within the county boundaries. All schools are classified as rural by the NCES. Refer to the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level enrollment trends.

Sources

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

School Overview

Total Schools

in Big Stone County

Reported Enrollment

791

8 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary4

Middle0

High4

Other0

2 School Districts in Big Stone County

ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2 schools

479 students

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

6 schools

312 students

8 Public Schools in Big Stone 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

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Showing 8 of 8 matching schools

Public schools in Big Stone County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
KNOLL ELEMENTARY	Record	ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	ORTONVILLE, 56278Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	246
ORTONVILLE SECONDARY	Record	ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	ORTONVILLE, 56278Rural: Distant	7–12	High	233
Pre-K - 5th Grade Building	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	CLINTON, 56225Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	131
6-12th Grade Building	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	GRACEVILLE, 56240Rural: Remote	6–12	High	127
Lismore Colony Elementary	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	CLINTON, 56225Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	25
Big Stone Colony Elementary	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	CLINTON, 56225Rural: Remote	KG–8	Primary	16
Big Stone Colony High School	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	CLINTON, 56225Rural: Remote	9–12	High	7
Lismore Colony Senior High School	Record	CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY	CLINTON, 56225Rural: Remote	9–12	High	6

KNOLL ELEMENTARY

ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ORTONVILLE, 56278 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary246 students

ORTONVILLE SECONDARY

ORTONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ORTONVILLE, 56278 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High233 students

Pre-K - 5th Grade Building

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

CLINTON, 56225 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary131 students

6-12th Grade Building

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

GRACEVILLE, 56240 / Rural: Remote

Record6–12High127 students

Lismore Colony Elementary

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

CLINTON, 56225 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary25 students

Big Stone Colony Elementary

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

CLINTON, 56225 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Primary16 students

Big Stone Colony High School

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

CLINTON, 56225 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High7 students

Lismore Colony Senior High School

CLINTON-GRACEVILLE-BEARDSLEY

CLINTON, 56225 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High6 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$8,605

State avg $8,463

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Big Stone 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 Big Stone County?

Big Stone County has a school score of 76/100, which is a higher 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 Big Stone County?

The high school graduation rate in Big Stone County is 93.3%, 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 Big Stone County spend per student?

Big Stone County spends $8,605 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

Murray County

Minnesota

+1 pts

77/100

School score

Lake of the Woods County

Minnesota

+2 pts

77/100

School score

Pope County

Minnesota

-2 pts

74/100

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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