The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) released the 2024 report card, measuring the percentage of students meeting the standards. Statewide MDE has seen almost no change from 2023 to 2024 in the number of students meeting test standards.

The percentage of Minnesota students meeting the math and reading standard remained unchanged from 2023 to 2024 with 45.5% meeting the standard in math and 49.9% meeting the standard in reading. In science, there was a slight improvement with 39.6% of students statewide meeting the standard, up from 39.2% in 2023.

In 2024, New Ulm Public School scored above the state average in proficiency with 52.7% in math; 51.4% in reading and 54.1% in science.

New Ulm Supt. Sean Koster said overall, school district testing scores were positive for 2024; especially when compared to the state as a whole.

Minnesota Department of Education testing data is in for 2024. New Ulm Public School District is above average in reading, math and science proficiency.

“When we compare to other schools we work to be a cut above the others,” Koster said. “We also look beyond the test and look at school growth.”

The test can tell how many students are proficient, but the district wants to know how much each student is learning and improving each year.

Based on recent MDE scores there were improvements in reading and science. In 2023, the proficiency rate in reading was 51.3% and 48.1% in science. This marks a slight increase in reading proficiency and a significant increase in science. Math scores, while above the state average in proficiency, did see a 2% decrease from last year.

The MDE report card data can be broken down by school building. Looking at only the New Ulm High School (NUHS) the changes between 2023 and 2024 were more pronounced.

In 2024, 43.5% of NUHS students met the standard, down from 50.2% in 2023. Within the last year, the percentage of local high school students meeting the math standard dropped below the statewide average.

Koster said the school is looking at interventions to improve math proficiency. Part of the problem is ensuring each student took the necessary math course before the test.

Koster explained the high school math standard incorporates all components of math education and not all high school students have had the chance to take the necessary courses. If a student has taken every algebra test but has never taken a geometry class, they are unlikely to meet the proficiency standard.

Koster said the school has adopted a new math curriculum. He said the new curriculum offers a more hands-on approach incorporating math in a way that is more relevant to students. The hope is by making math classes more applicable to a student’s life there will be an increase in proficiency.

While NUHS students are seeing a decline in math, science skills are skyrocketing. Overall, New Ulm saw science proficiency increase by 6%, but at the high school level, the increase was 19%. In 2024, 69.3% of NUHS was proficient in science. The data further indicated that over a quarter of NUHS students (26.7%) exceeded the proficiency standard in science.

“I have to give credit to our science teachers,” Koster said. The increase in science scores was across the board at every grade level. The higher scores were not the work of a single educator, but the entire science department.

Koster said New Ulm has many career pathways that lend themselves to science-based careers. Many NUHS students are involved in agriculture science and or taking pathways to nursing.

MDE data shows that NUHS continues to excel in the overall graduation rate. Over the last five years, New Ulm Public had a graduation rate above 90% while the state average has remained at 83%.

In 2019, 96.3% of New Ulm seniors graduated high school. The next year at the height of the COVID pandemic, the graduation rate in New Ulm dropped to 93% but has since climbed back above 95%.

In addition to the graduation rate, New Ulm Public has a higher number of students attending school regularly with 86.3% of students consistently attending class compared to the 74.5% state average. A student is considered to have consistent attendance if they attend more than 90 percent of the time enrolled for the year.

Koster said in his first year as superintendent he has observed the New Ulm community highly values education and this is not limited to the school district. He said the private schools also have a strong tie to education.

“We pass referendums and we have families active in our education in our community,” he said.

Koster also credited the school for offering multiple education pathways. The school works to guide student interest, which helps keep them engaged and in school. There are a variety of pathways including agriculture, nursing, tech and culinary arts.

“We have 150 kids going to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) every day,” he said. “They are learning welding and carpentry.”

At the same time, many NUHS graduates are attending four-year schools. There are a variety of options to keep students in school.

“This allows a student to feel success at school rather than allow them to become demoralized,” Koster said.