County directory · Minnesota · 2026–27
School districts in Stearns County, MN
Stearns County has 10 regular public school districts, enrolling 23,811 students in 2024–25. The largest is St. Cloud Public School District (9,940 students, 42% of the county), followed by Sartell-St. Stephen School District and Rocori Public School District. All 10 offer kindergarten. Minnesota's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 1.
The 10 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud Public School District 1201 2ND ST S, WAITE PARK also serves Benton County, Sherburne County and Wright County | Pre-K–12 | 27 | 9,940 | 685 | (320) 370-8000 |
| Sartell-St. Stephen School District 212 3RD AVE N, SARTELL also serves Benton County | Pre-K–12 | 6 | 3,943 | 223 | (320) 656-3701 |
| Rocori Public School District 534 N 5TH AVE, COLD SPRING | Pre-K–12 | 7 | 2,406 | 136 | (320) 685-4901 |
| Albany Public School District 30 FOREST AVE, ALBANY | Pre-K–12 | 5 | 1,744 | 77 | (320) 845-2171 |
| Melrose Public School District 546 5TH AVE NE, MELROSE also serves Morrison County and Todd County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,313 | 72 | (320) 256-5160 |
| Sauk Centre Public School District 903 STATE RD, SAUK CENTRE also serves Pope County and Todd County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,104 | 64 | (320) 352-2258 |
| Holdingford Public School District 900 5TH ST, HOLDINGFORD also serves Morrison County | Pre-K–12 | 2 | 1,098 | 75 | (320) 746-2196 |
| Paynesville Area Schools 801 BUSINESS 23 S, PAYNESVILLE also serves Kandiyohi County and Meeker County | Pre-K–12 | 2 | 894 | 62 | (320) 243-3410 |
| Kimball Public School District 100 W STATE HIGHWAY 55, KIMBALL also serves Meeker County | Pre-K–12 | 2 | 759 | 49 | (320) 398-5585 |
| Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist 710 WASHBURN AVENUE, BELGRADE also serves Kandiyohi County and Pope County | Pre-K–12 | 2 | 610 | 45 | (320) 254-8211 |
Stearns County at a glance
Together the 10 districts run 59 schools from offices in 10 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist, with 610 students; the median Stearns County district has 1,104. By grade span: 10 Pre-K–12.
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 10 districts that report a K grade: 1,488 children. The biggest kindergarten was St. Cloud Public School District's, with 685; Sartell-St. Stephen School District had 223, and the smallest, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist, had 45.
Stearns County holds 10 of Minnesota's 329 regular districts (3.0%) and 3.0% of its 797,277 public school students, ranking 3rd of 87 counties by number of districts and 8th by enrollment. By size, 1 enroll 5,000 or more, 6 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 3 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 404 students.
8 districts reach past the county line: St. Cloud Public School District (into Benton County, Sherburne County and Wright County), Sartell-St. Stephen School District (into Benton County), Melrose Public School District (into Morrison County and Todd County), Sauk Centre Public School District (into Pope County and Todd County), Holdingford Public School District (into Morrison County), Paynesville Area Schools (into Kandiyohi County and Meeker County), Kimball Public School District (into Meeker County) and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist (into Kandiyohi County and Pope County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 8 of Stearns County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
St. Cloud Public School District · Sartell-St. Stephen School District · Rocori Public School District · Albany Public School District · Melrose Public School District · Sauk Centre Public School District · Holdingford Public School District · Paynesville Area Schools · Kimball Public School District · Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa School Dist
What grade will my child be in?
More in Minnesota
Every Minnesota district by county · Minnesota kindergarten cutoff
More Minnesota county directories: Hennepin County (15) · St. Louis County (12)