ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY

ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY is a very small K-5 school in INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minnesota, overseen by INVER GROVE HEIGHTS SCHOOLS. The school educates 69 students in grades 2 through 5. That puts it 80% leaner than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 344 students.

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS SCHOOLS runs 8 schools in total, collectively educating 3,427 students. ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY is one of those campuses.

On demographics, ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY lists that the largest single group is White, at 59% of enrollment; the rest comes out to 13% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 9% multiracial, 6% Black. The wider county runs roughly 74% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 23.0:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 14% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is below Dakota County's rate of about 34%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY ranks in the top 10% of Minnesota public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 57.3%; ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY posts 92.3%, +35.1 points above that line.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Dakota County) records that the typical household earns roughly $106,318 per year, about 45% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. In all, Dakota County runs 170 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,687 students), of which ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY is one.

The closest other public school is SALEM HILLS ELEMENTARY, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY comes 1st of 4 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 31.6%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 42%: 119 students in 2018 compared to 69 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment expanded from 4% to 13% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, members of the ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.