NEW ULM – The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) graduation rates and student proficiency scores were released last week, showing New Ulm High School is above the state average in all categories.

New Ulm High School principal Mark Bergmann provided a breakdown of the MDE report card as well as a review of high school programs during Tuesday’s work session.

Bergmann began with a breakdown of school enrollment numbers. Declining enrollment has been a concern at the New Ulm Public Schools in recent years. Enrollment is tied to school funding, with the school district receiving $10,000 per pupil. With enrollment down by 47 students, revenue was cut by nearly half a million dollars and was one of the reasons for the $2 million in budget cuts made by the school board during a special meeting last week.

Bergmann’s presentation included enrollment figures for the last 10 years and compared it to the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers working in the school each year.

In 2017, the first year the school was open, enrollment was at 700 students. In that year, the high school had 42 FTE licensed teachers. There was a sharp decline in enrollment in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Enrollment numbers climbed back above 700 by 2023, peaking at 761 high school students in 2024. The same year, the school had 50 FTE licensed teachers. By 2026, enrollment dropped down to 704 students with 52 FTE licensed teachers.

Bergmann said between 2020-2022 the school had the ideal number of teachers to student ratio. The goal is to have an average class size of 24-26 per class. In 2017, the school had too few teachers for the number of students and by 2023 the school had too many teachers.

“This is where we talk about “right-sizing,” Bergmann said.

For next school year, the high school will cut four FTE to match current enrollment. Bergmann said this does not mean four positions are being cut, but it means some position will be reduced.

Looking to the future, Bergmann said enrollment is expected to drop to 660 students in 2027 and remain at this level through 2028. Enrollment should rebound back above 700 student by 2030.

“There is always going to be some classes that are small and some that are larger and it is the balance between the two,” he said.

School attendance data from 2024 showed 90.7% of New Ulm High School students attend school regularly, well above the state average of 75.5%.

Bergmann said the school was proud of its attendance record.

“I am a firm believer that if they are at school, they have an opportunity to learn,” he said.

Though school attendance rates are high in New Ulm, the district is always trying to improve it. Bergmann said there are regularly truancy meetings and conversations with the family to try to determine why a student is not attending class. The school tries to provide support for students who regularly miss class.

Another positive for the school is its graduation rate. MDE data showed New Ulm High School was consistently graduating over 90% of seniors. In 2024, the school graduated 97.6% of seniors and in 2025, graduation rates remained high at 96.4% The statewide graduation rate for those years was 84.2% and 89.9%.

Bergmann credited special programs that identify students who are behind in class and helps them meet the graduation goal on time.

“The best part of our graduation rate being so high is we have never lowered our standards to get to that rate,” Bergmann said. He pointed to the school’s MDE proficiency scores as an example.

New Ulm High School is performing above the state average in math, reading and science proficiency. Proficiency rates in math and reading both increased in 2025 with 56.3% of student proficient in math and 61.9% proficient in reading. The state average is 45.2% in math and 49.6% in reading.

In science, 59.5% of students were proficient compared to a statewide proficiency rate of 24%.

Bergmann said in reviewing science scores around the state, he only found a few schools that did better in science.

At the close of the presentation, Bergmann discussed the rise in online classes. He said during the 2025-26 school year, 39 students transitioned to online learning classes for at least part of the day. It is anticipated close to 80 students will take online classes next year.

Bergmann said he wanted to expand the online course offerings to give students more options. He believes without more online options, they could see a further drop in enrollment.

“If we don’t do something to keep students here, they will go somewhere else,” he said. “They want choice. If we don’t give them choice, they will find it in other areas.”

The online classes would not be new courses, but existing classes that could be adapted into online learning.

Bergmann said potentially, the school could submit an MDE application to allow the online classes to be accessed by students anywhere in Minnesota. This could potentially help with the school’s enrollment by bringing outside students into an online class.