BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY

BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY is a roomy elementary-level community in SAINT MICHAEL, Minnesota, run under St. Michael-Albertville Schools. The school instructs 656 students in grades 1 through 4. That puts it 91% bigger than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 344 students.

Within St. Michael-Albertville Schools, which oversees 11 schools and 6,795 students, BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY reports that the largest single group is White, at 77% of enrollment. The remainder looks like 8% multiracial, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, 2% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 89% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY higher than the state norm the norm. Around 18% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 55.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 63.6%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Wright County indicate the typical household earns roughly $107,209 per year, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Across Wright County's 88 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,879 students), BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is ST. MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE MIDDLE EAST, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY. On composite proficiency, BIG WOODS ELEMENTARY comes 2nd of 4 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 58.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 5%: 624 students in 2018 compared to 656 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 90% to 77% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.