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

No. Use the Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan County?

Start with the 8 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Watonwan County Schools & Education

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

Watonwan County, Minnesota

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

School Score

35/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

77.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

77.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 86.6%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,930

National avg $13,239

State avg $8,463

School Score

35/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 55/100

State Score Position

#86

of 87 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Watonwan County

Measured School Summary

Watonwan County faces educational challenges with a school score of 35/100 and a graduation rate of 77.1%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,930 per pupil, Watonwan County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 37% below the Minnesota average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 9.5 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 6% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Watonwan 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 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

35/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #86 of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data.

Completion

77.1%

9.5 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,930

$533 below the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Watonwan County has 8 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 Watonwan 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.

Review-carefully county

Watonwan County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.

State position

#86

of 87 Minnesota counties with school score data. The county score is 20 points below 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.

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

1,107 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 2

4 listed schools in this county slice.

MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

620 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

Butterfield-Odin Public Schools

Elementary and high visible

227 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 4 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 Watonwan County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Watonwan 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?

Education Overview

About Schools in Watonwan County, Minnesota

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Small-Scale Learning in Southern Minnesota

Watonwan County features a compact school system with just eight public schools serving 1,954 students. The county's education is managed by three districts, providing three elementary and three high schools. There are currently no charter schools in the county, focusing resources on traditional district models.

The St. James Public School District

The St. James Public School District is the county's primary educator, serving 1,107 students across four schools. Madelia Public School District also plays a vital role, supporting 620 students in the eastern part of the county. These districts maintain a strong local presence with no alternative charter options currently available.

A Rural and Town Educational Mix

The school landscape is evenly split between rural settings and town centers, with four schools in each locale. The average school size is modest at 244 students, though St. James Middle/High School is the largest with 551 students. Attending school here means being part of a close-knit community where every student is known.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Watonwan County

Reported Enrollment

1,954

8 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle0

High3

Other2

3 School Districts in Watonwan County

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

4 schools

1,107 students

MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

2 schools

620 students

Butterfield-Odin Public Schools

2 schools

227 students

8 Public Schools in Watonwan 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 8 of 8 matching schools

Public schools in Watonwan County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
St. James Middle/High School	Record	ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	SAINT JAMES, 56081Town: Distant	6–12	High	551
ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY	Record	ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	SAINT JAMES, 56081Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	480
MADELIA ELEMENTARY	Record	MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	MADELIA, 56062Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	348
MADELIA SECONDARY	Record	MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	MADELIA, 56062Rural: Distant	7–12	High	272
BUTTERFIELD ELEMENTARY	Record	Butterfield-Odin Public Schools	BUTTERFIELD, 56120Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	116
BUTTERFIELD SECONDARY	Record	Butterfield-Odin Public Schools	BUTTERFIELD, 56120Rural: Distant	7–12	High	111
Armstrong School	Record	ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	SAINT JAMES, 56081Town: Distant	PK	Other	66
ST. JAMES EARLY CHILDHOOD	Record	ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT	SAINT JAMES, 56081Town: Distant	PK	Special Education	10

St. James Middle/High School

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAINT JAMES, 56081 / Town: Distant

Record6–12High551 students

ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAINT JAMES, 56081 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary480 students

MADELIA ELEMENTARY

MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

MADELIA, 56062 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary348 students

MADELIA SECONDARY

MADELIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

MADELIA, 56062 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High272 students

BUTTERFIELD ELEMENTARY

Butterfield-Odin Public Schools

BUTTERFIELD, 56120 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary116 students

BUTTERFIELD SECONDARY

Butterfield-Odin Public Schools

BUTTERFIELD, 56120 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High111 students

Armstrong School

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAINT JAMES, 56081 / Town: Distant

RecordPKOther66 students

ST. JAMES EARLY CHILDHOOD

ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAINT JAMES, 56081 / Town: Distant

RecordPKSpecial Education10 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,930

State avg $8,463

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Watonwan 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 Watonwan County?

Watonwan County has a school score of 35/100, which is a lower 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 Watonwan County?

The high school graduation rate in Watonwan County is 77.1%, which is below 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 Watonwan County spend per student?

Watonwan County spends $7,930 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Watonwan County, Minnesota — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Watonwan County, Minnesota?

What are the major school districts in Watonwan County, Minnesota?

What is the school experience like in Watonwan County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Hubbard County

Minnesota

+1 pts

35/100

School score

Otter Tail County

Minnesota

-1 pts

34/100

School score

Chisago County

Minnesota

+1 pts

35/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 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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