Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 489 th of 881 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Challenger Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 781 students attended Challenger Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary?

Students at Challenger Elementary are 81% White, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary attend?

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Franklin Middle High : Lincoln Senior High

Challenger Elementary

Summary:

Challenger Elementary is a public elementary school in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, serving 783 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Thief River Falls School District, which is ranked 264 out of 463 districts in the state.

Challenger Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, with students generally scoring higher on MCA-III assessments in math, reading, and science compared to the district and state averages. The school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.1 to 13.5 over the past three years, which is lower than nearby schools. However, Challenger Elementary has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 33.58% to 41%, compared to the nearby schools, which have rates ranging from 42.79% to 61.74%.

While Challenger Elementary's overall performance is commendable, its statewide ranking has been declining in recent years, from 386 out of 847 Minnesota elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 489 out of 881 in 2023-2024. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the ranking for Hispanic students being much higher than the overall ranking, while the ranking for white students is significantly lower. This suggests that the school may need to focus on addressing the needs of specific subgroups to improve overall performance and maintain its strong standing among Newfolden Elementary, Goodridge Elementary, J.A. Hughes Elementary, Viking Elementary, and Red Lake County Central Elementary in the region.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

601 County Rd 61
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-4004

(218) 681-2345

District: Thief River Falls School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
489^th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,437

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Franklin Middle
High:	Lincoln Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 13.5

Number of students: 781

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.4%

Hispanic:

8.7%

Two or more races:

7.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 43.8%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Challenger Elementary ranks worse than 55.5% of elementary schools in Minnesota. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.35. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (81.4%), Hispanic (8.7%), two or more races (7.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 43.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary is 13.5. (See more...)

Compare Challenger Elementary employs 57.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Challenger Elementary is $10,437.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Challenger Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Challenger Elementary 489^th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Challenger Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Thief River Falls School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Thief River Falls School District 264^th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Challenger Elementary?

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Rank History for Challenger Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2003	53.75	376^th	674	44.2%
2004	46.31	440^th	676	34.9%
2005	58.52	322^nd	685	53.0%
2006	55.19	406^th	756	46.3%
2007	48.07	507^th	777	34.7%
2008	49.21	489^th	781	37.4%
2009	47.34	279^th	434	35.7%
2010	72.84	179^th	803	77.7%
2011	73.96	168^th	814	79.4%
2012	62.36	363^rd	820	55.7%
2013	59.48	379^th	824	54.0%
2014	51.93	473^rd	826	42.7%
2015	53.42	475^th	840	43.5%
2016	55.61	455^th	848	46.3%
2017	57.79	420^th	853	50.8%
2018	59.65	386^th	847	54.4%
2019	58.14	437^th	870	49.8%
2021	51.07	508^th	869	41.5%
2022	51.56	483^rd	858	43.7%
2023	57.10	402^nd	845	52.4%
2024	50.35	489^th	881	44.5%

See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	38.89	63^rd	98	35.7%
2019	47.52	52^nd	96	45.8%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	44.18	269^th	463	41.9%
2019	49.80	278^th	515	46.0%
2021	59.12	144^th	417	65.5%
2022	51.01	238^th	500	52.4%
2023	43.38	303^rd	524	42.2%
2024	37.03	377^th	572	34.1%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	60.10	292^nd	728	59.9%
2019	57.97	310^th	740	58.1%
2021	51.89	341^st	683	50.1%
2022	56.11	286^th	663	56.9%
2023	57.59	328^th	774	57.6%
2024	49.49	424^th	793	46.5%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	57.19	390^th	774	49.6%
2019	57.48	403^rd	787	48.8%
2021	48.84	462^nd	783	41.0%
2022	45.96	481^st	799	39.8%
2023	51.94	429^th	787	45.5%
2024	53.38	413^th	809	48.9%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	59.59	362^nd	779	53.5%
2019	56.02	419^th	798	47.5%
2021	49.36	461^st	784	41.2%
2022	54.07	405^th	808	49.9%
2023	58.47	347^th	799	56.6%
2024	44.66	505^th	826	38.9%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	49.19	110^th	220	50.0%
2022	36.26	141^st	209	32.5%
2024	41.14	158^th	249	36.5%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	44.50	12^th	21	42.9%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	40.21	483^rd	712	32.2%
2019	44.12	452^nd	722	37.4%
2021	32.46	551^st	710	22.4%
2022	36.07	520^th	725	28.3%
2023	38.98	466^th	712	34.6%
2024	32.27	547^th	730	25.1%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Challenger Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1995	936	7	9	14	12	n/a	n/a	0	978
1996	936	7	9	14	12	n/a	n/a	0	978
1997	914	11	5	13	17	n/a	n/a	0	960
1998	847	9	6	23	24	n/a	n/a	26	935
1999	886	6	5	31	20	n/a	n/a	0	948
2000	805	5	3	21	16	n/a	n/a	0	850
2001	813	3	2	19	15	n/a	n/a	0	852
2002	819	4	2	23	16	n/a	n/a	0	864
2003	819	4	2	23	16	n/a	n/a	0	864
2004	816	8	4	32	17	n/a	n/a	0	877
2005	786	13	4	33	14	n/a	n/a	0	850
2006	792	14	5	43	20	n/a	n/a	0	874
2007	792	18	4	52	27	n/a	n/a	0	893
2008	766	24	4	50	31	n/a	n/a	0	875
2009	817	24	6	34	32	n/a	n/a	0	913
2010	790	32	10	47	36	n/a	n/a	0	915
2011	754	24	9	51	30	1	13	0	882
2012	738	22	9	58	22	2	17	0	868
2013	744	22	11	51	31	2	11	0	872
2014	779	15	14	62	26	0	19	0	915
2015	765	12	17	60	23	0	18	0	895
2016	783	14	14	60	26	0	33	0	930
2017	769	11	11	59	33	0	43	0	926
2018	783	16	9	68	26	0	52	0	954
2019	752	19	11	66	24	0	55	0	927
2020	768	14	15	74	24	0	50	0	945
2021	675	10	12	65	23	0	46	0	831
2022	682	3	6	73	20	0	38	0	822
2023	649	4	6	63	12	0	49	0	783
2024	636	8	5	68	8	0	56	0	781

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Challenger Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	978	58.8	16.6	22.4
1996	978	58.8	16.6	22.4
1997	960	58.1	16.5	21.1
1998	935	n/a	0.0	26.6
1999	948	72.7	13.0	23.2
2000	850	70.5	12.1	39.2
2001	852	65.4	13.0	33.6
2002	864	63.5	13.6	35.2
2003	864	63.5	13.6	35.2
2004	877	59.6	14.7	35.6
2005	850	57.0	14.9	35.5
2006	874	51.8	16.9	37.3
2007	893	54.0	16.5	37
2008	875	54.5	16.1	37.9
2009	913	59.7	15.3	37.3
2010	915	58.1	15.7	42.6
2011	882	60.1	14.6	43.4
2012	868	61.1	14.1	44.9
2013	872	59.5	14.6	42.4
2014	915	61.5	14.8	41.3
2015	895	60.0	14.9	38.1
2016	930	63.0	14.7	38.5
2017	926	62.5	14.8	40.2
2018	954	63.1	15.1	42.2
2019	927	62.4	14.8	38.3
2020	945	63.2	14.9	38.9
2021	831	63.2	13.1	35.4
2022	822	61.7	13.3	33.6
2023	783	57.7	13.5	41
2024	781	57.6	13.5	43.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Challenger Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	978	58.8	16.6	22.4
1996	978	58.8	16.6	22.4
1997	960	58.1	16.5	21.1
1998	935	n/a	0.0	26.6
1999	948	72.7	13.0	23.2
2000	850	70.5	12.1	39.2
2001	852	65.4	13.0	33.6
2002	864	63.5	13.6	35.2
2003	864	63.5	13.6	35.2
2004	877	59.6	14.7	35.6
2005	850	57.0	14.9	35.5
2006	874	51.8	16.9	37.3
2007	893	54.0	16.5	37
2008	875	54.5	16.1	37.9
2009	913	59.7	15.3	37.3
2010	915	58.1	15.7	42.6
2011	882	60.1	14.6	43.4
2012	868	61.1	14.1	44.9
2013	872	59.5	14.6	42.4
2014	915	61.5	14.8	41.3
2015	895	60.0	14.9	38.1
2016	930	63.0	14.7	38.5
2017	926	62.5	14.8	40.2
2018	954	63.1	15.1	42.2
2019	927	62.4	14.8	38.3
2020	945	63.2	14.9	38.9
2021	831	63.2	13.1	35.4
2022	822	61.7	13.3	33.6
2023	783	57.7	13.5	41
2024	781	57.6	13.5	43.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Challenger Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$10,437

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Challenger Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 437^th of 870 Elementary schools	Ranks 402^nd of 845 Elementary schools	2.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)	63	64.8	1.8%
3rd Grade Math (Thief River Falls School District)	63	64.8	1.8%
3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)	65.6	59.1	6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Challenger Elementary)	54.7	48.8	5.9%
3rd Grade Reading (Thief River Falls School District)	54.7	48.8	5.9%
3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)	54.6	47.4	7.2%
4th Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)	67.1	59.1	8%
4th Grade Math (Thief River Falls School District)	67.1	59.1	8%
4th Grade Math (Minnesota)	63.9	57.1	6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Challenger Elementary)	57.3	47.3	10%
4th Grade Reading (Thief River Falls School District)	57.3	47.3	10%
4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)	55.4	48.4	7.1%
5th Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)	60.8	40	20.8%
5th Grade Math (Thief River Falls School District)	60.8	40	20.8%
5th Grade Math (Minnesota)	52	44.4	7.6%
5th Grade Reading (Challenger Elementary)	62.2	57.4	4.7%
5th Grade Reading (Thief River Falls School District)	62.2	57.4	4.7%
5th Grade Reading (Minnesota)	65.8	58.7	7%
5th Grade Science (Challenger Elementary)	55.1	47.7	7.4%
5th Grade Science (Thief River Falls School District)	55.1	47.7	7.4%
5th Grade Science (Minnesota)	54.9	48.4	6.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	927	783	15.5%
African American	19	4	78.9%
American Indian	24	12	50%
Asian	11	6	45.5%
Hispanic	66	63	4.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	752	649	13.7%
Two or More Races	55	49	10.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	38.3%	41%	2.7%

Schools Near Challenger Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCA-III Math (2024)					MCA-III Reading (2024)					MCA-III Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	MCA-III Science 5th Grade	MCA-III Science All Grades	Total
Challenger Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 County Rd 61	Thief River Falls	56701	Pennington County	Thief River Falls School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 681-2345	781	58	13.5	43.8%	636 (81.4%)	8 (1.0%)	68 (8.7%)	5 (0.6%)	8 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.2%)	50.4	489^th of 881 public elementary schools	44.5%		57.1	402^nd of 845 public elementary schools	52.4%	87	58.3	61.6	30.4		49.6	39.4	58.4	48.6		48.6	39.9	39.9	$10,437
Viking Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	305 Melgaard St	Viking	56760	Marshall County	Marshall County Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 523-4425	102	8	12.0	43.1%	97 (95.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)								(n/a)													$12,415
Red Lake County Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	260 Minnesota St S	Plummer	56748	Red Lake County	Red Lake County Central Public School	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 465-4222	182	20	8.9	46.2%	172 (94.5%)	2 (1.1%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	48	517^th of 881 public elementary schools	41.3%		40.1	571^st of 845 public elementary schools	32.4%	54	82.6	60.6	25.0	30.8	47.5	78.3	48.5	47.2	26.9	49.2	33.3	33.3	$5,214
J.A. Hughes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	601 1st St	Red Lake Falls	56750	Red Lake County	Red Lake Falls Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 253-2161	213	23	9.1	37.1%	184 (86.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.0%)	79.8	145^th of 881 public elementary schools	83.5%		73.8	216^th of 845 public elementary schools	74.4%	71	66.7	81.8	62.5	56.7	67.2	56.7	60.6	59.4	63.3	60.0	65.6	65.6	$11,033
Goodridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	201 Osmund Ave	Goodridge	56725	Pennington County	Goodridge Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 378-4134	156	11	14.0	53.8%	142 (91.0%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)	34.2	625^th of 881 public elementary schools	29.1%		28.9	630^th of 845 public elementary schools	25.4%	5	56.5	46.2	27.3	28.6	39.2	43.5	23.1	45.5	38.1	39.2	27.3	27.3	$13,906
Newfolden Elementary	Public	3-6	305 Minnesota Ave W	Newfolden	56738	Marshall County	Marshall County Central Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 874-8805	142	10	13.7	33.8%	131 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	5 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	62.3	350^th of 881 public elementary schools	60.3%		71.6	235^th of 845 public elementary schools	72.2%	115	75.8	51.2	42.4	44.1	53.2	55.9	46.5	45.5	73.5	54.9	46.9	46.9	$11,942

Challenger Elementary

Challenger Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Thief River Falls School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Challenger Elementary

Rank History for all students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for Native American students at Challenger Elementary

Rank History for White students at Challenger Elementary

Enrollment information for Challenger Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Challenger Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Challenger Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Challenger Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Challenger Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Challenger Elementary