KMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

What KMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS does

KMS Public Schools, legally Independent School District #775 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Public Schools, is a publicly funded K-12 school district serving central Minnesota communities of Kerkhoven, Murdock, and Sunburg across approximately 249 square miles, with a census-estimated resident population of 2,914. The district operates two main school buildings — KMS Elementary School (grades K-6) in Murdock and KMS High School (grades 7-12) in Kerkhoven — supplemented by a Norwegian-themed Barnehage Preschool in Sunburg and additional preschool classrooms co-located within KMS High School serving ages three to five, including a collaborative Prairie Five Head Start classroom.

The district runs a standardized educational technology stack built on third-party platforms rather than proprietary systems: JMC for student information management and parent-facing portals (grades, attendance, lunch payments), Google Classroom for online instruction, Seesaw for family communication, Follett Destiny for library management, and curriculum packages including HMH Into Reading and UFLI for phonics instruction. Instructional programs span general academics, special education, English Learner support, music and fine arts, athletics through Minnesota State High School League affiliation, and expanding career-and-technical education (CTE) and science facilities currently under construction. The Barnehage preschool offers a distinct Norwegian language and cultural-immersion angle, and MacPhail Music delivers Norwegian-themed music programming via remote instruction.

As a government entity under Minnesota state law, KMS is funded through a combination of state per-pupil aid, federal education funding, local property taxes, and approved building referenda — most recently a November 7, 2023 voter-approved referendum funding capital improvements including code-required storm shelters and CTE spaces. The district also charges nominal activity and lunch fees to families via the JMC portal. Governance rests with an elected Board of Education chaired by Todd Rudningen, with Superintendent Martin Heidelberger serving as the chief executive overseeing day-to-day operations across roughly 100+ staff members listed in the public directory. Marketing and enrollment are handled through the district website, social channels (Facebook, YouTube, Linktree), local newspaper coverage, and direct enrollment via the district office.

Name

KMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Legal name

Independent School District #775 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Public Schools

Website

https://kms.k12.mn.us

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KMS Public Schools (Independent School District #775) is a publicly funded K-12 school district operating elementary, high school, and Norwegian-themed Barnehage preschool programs across Kerkhoven, Murdock, and Sunburg in central Minnesota, serving approximately 2,914 residents over 249 square miles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Elementary school services
• Secondary education
• Preschool programs
• Public school district

Headquarters

HQ city

Murdock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Funded through Minnesota state and federal education funding, local property taxes, and educational grants. District referendum approved for building improvements.
2. Student Fees and Lunch: Activity and lunch fees charged to families for participation and meals

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KMS Public Schools is Independent School District #775 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, a public K-12 school district operating KMS Elementary School (K-6) in Murdock and KMS High School (7-12) in Kerkhoven. The district also offers Norwegian-themed Barnehage Preschool in Sunburg and additional preschool programs, providing comprehensive education including special education, English Learner support, music, fine arts, athletics, and CTE programming to families in central Minnesota communities.

Product overview

KMS Public Schools (Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg School District #0775) is a central Minnesota K-12 public school district operating two school buildings: KMS Elementary School (K-6) in Murdock and KMS High School (7-12) in Kerkhoven. The district also operates Norwegian-themed Barnehage Preschools including a location in Sunburg serving ages 3-5. The district uses JMC for student information management and parent portals, Google Classroom for online learning, and various curriculum platforms including HMH Into Reading, UFLI phonics instruction, and Seesaw for family communication. District enrollment spans approximately 249 square miles with a census estimate of 2,914 resident members. Current building projects include elementary additions with storm shelters and high school CTE/science renovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KMS Elementary School: Elementary school located in Murdock serving grades kindergarten through six.
• KMS High School
• Barnehage Preschool

Products and services

• KMS Elementary School KMS Elementary School located in Murdock, serving grades kindergarten through six, with programs including regular education, special education, English Language Learners, music, band, art, and physical education for families within the KMS district boundary.
• KMS High School KMS High School located in Kerkhoven serving grades seven through twelve, featuring high school academics, four preschool classrooms serving ages three to five, and career/technical education spaces including science labs and CTE facilities, plus MSHSL-governed athletics and activities.
• Barnehage Preschool Norwegian-themed preschool program located in Sunburg serving children ages three to five, incorporating Norwegian language immersion and cultural programming. Features the Barnehage Blomsters classroom described as a 'children's garden' with children as 'flowers.' Includes MacPhail Music partnership for Norwegian-themed music instruction.
• 3s Preschool Program Preschool program for three-year-old children located inside KMS High School, meeting Monday through Thursday. Students attend 2-4 half or full days per week, learning colors, shapes, letter names and sounds, numbers, rhyming, and social skills through a collaborative partnership with Prairie Five Head Start.
• Community Education Programs Community education programming offered by the KMS district for preschool and continuing education, with online registration through isd775.cr3.rschooltoday.com serving residents across the district's 249 square mile coverage area.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Prairie Five Head StartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative preschool partnership offering Head Start programming alongside tuition-paying students in same classrooms with financial assistance for qualifying families
• Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation for athletics and activities providing competition framework and governance for high school sports programs
• MacPhail MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic education partnership providing instruction via Skype for Barnehage preschool Norwegian-themed music programming
• JostensminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYearbook production partner providing yearbook publishing services and ordering platform for KMS yearbook
• Rustad School Bus CompanycoreOthersBus transportation provider serving Kerkhoven area for student transportation to and from school
• Riley Bus CompanycoreOthersBus transportation provider serving Murdock area for student transportation to and from school

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Montevideo Public Schools: Small west-central Minnesota K-12 public district with similar scale and rural/small-town demographics, providing a useful benchmark for enrollment and per-pupil funding dynamics.
• Paynesville Area Schools: Small rural central Minnesota public school district serving comparable grade spans (K-12) with similar funding structures, demographic profile, and operational scale. Most directly comparable given proximity and district size.
• MACCRAY Schools: Small consolidated rural Minnesota K-12 district serving several western Minnesota communities, structurally analogous to KMS in scale, funding, and multi-community governance.
• Holdingford Public Schools: Small central Minnesota K-12 district with a comparable rural footprint, public funding model, and student-to-staff scale — a natural operational benchmark.
• Minnewaska Area Schools: Rural west-central Minnesota public school district covering a multi-town area similar to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, with comparable size, funding model, and K-12 plus preschool programming.
• Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Public Schools: Small rural Minnesota K-12 district of similar enrollment scale and funding structure, operating consolidated school buildings and serving surrounding farming communities comparable to KMS.
• Yellow Medicine East: Rural southwestern Minnesota K-12 district with comparable size, public funding model, and reliance on a small rural tax base.

Others

• Lakes Country Service Cooperative: Regional educational service cooperative providing shared services to Minnesota school districts; adjacent/ecosystem participant that supports operational efficiencies for small rural districts similar to KMS.
• Sourcewell (formerly NJPA): Minnesota-based cooperative purchasing organization serving public entities including school districts; an ecosystem partner comparable in that it enables cost-shared procurement for small districts like KMS.

Broad incumbents

• St. Cloud Area School District (ISD 742): Larger regional public school district headquartered in St. Cloud, MN — same broader labor market and state funding system as KMS, but operating at materially greater scale and serving a more urban population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1m1tLWkC62NH_EjwPT3O-Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/KMSsaints
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kms-public-schools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KMS PUBLIC SCHOOLS