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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 272388002841

BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY

401 JEFFERSON PKWY, NORTHFIELD, MN 55057 · (507) 664-3300 · Rice County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL564 STUDENTS
Enrollment
564
Elementary
DISTRICT 404 · STATE 344
Student : Teacher
14.1:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.2:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
26%
145 students
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Kindergarten7413%
Grade 110619%
Grade 28715%
Grade 39116%
Grade 410619%
Grade 510018%

This year's kindergarten class (74) is 26% smaller than its 5th grade class (100).

Student demographics
38%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 60% · US 70%
White
43577%
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 60% · US 43%
Hispanic
7714%
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 12% · US 30%
Black
132%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 12% · US 15%
Asian
51%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
336%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 7% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 2% · US 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
28150%
Female
28350%

Discussions

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Test scores

MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds Standards
English Language Arts
64.3%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
69.6%
MN avg 45.3%

What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 70 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.

Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
60.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
51.3%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.2pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY

BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY's state test result (60.5% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY this school56425.7%60.5%
JORDAN ELEMENTARY
JORDAN
70128.7%47.0%
Spring Creek Elementary
NORTHFIELD
44529.2%60.7%
PRAIRIE WOODS ELEMENTARY
NEW LONDON
57828.0%60.1%
Pinecrest Elementary
HASTINGS
43626.1%54.7%
ST. CHARLES ELEMENTARY
SAINT CHARLES
45728.9%54.0%
Matched among Minnesota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MinnesotaIn Rice County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
60.5%#133 of 844#2 of 9
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
69.6%#124 of 844#1 of 9
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
64.3%#119 of 844#1 of 9
Enrollment
ranked largest first
564#209 of 1,130#1 of 12
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.1:1#447 of 769#7 of 8
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
38.2%#493 of 796#6 of 8
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
25.7%#745 of 942#8 of 10
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-5.4%#400 of 499N/A
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
564
+5 (+1%) vs 2020
-6% since 2000-01, when it was 600
Student : Teacher
14.1:1
was 13.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-255644014.1:126% (145)
2023-2456339.114.4:131% (172)
2022-2352740.113.2:130% (156)
2020-215594113.6:118% (102)
2017-1859639.415.1:125% (149)
2015-165713715.4:129% (167)
2010-115443814.3:133% (179)
2000-016003417.6:117% (101)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY.

Since 2017-18: students down 5% (596 to 564); teachers up 2% (39.4 to 40).

About BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY

Among the schools in NORTHFIELD, Minnesota, is BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY, a high-enrollment elementary school. The school offers kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 564 students. That puts enrollment 64% bigger than the 344-student average for elementary schools in Minnesota.

The NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT system has 7 schools and 3,849 students.

At BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY, 77% of students are White. Other students are 14% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 2% Black. Census estimates put Rice County at about 80% White, close to the school's figure. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 38%.

BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY has 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 14.1:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Minnesota is similar, at 13.7:1. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 26% at BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY. That rate is below the 46% average among public schools in Rice County.

In Minnesota, BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 60.5% actual against a predicted 51.3%.

For the population of Rice County, median household income comes to about $83,181, roughly 30% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Rice County counts 40 public schools with about 8,301 students.

Among nearby public schools, NORTHFIELD MIDDLE is closest at about 0.3 miles. Other public schools within five miles number 7. The nearest schools with test data average 56.8%, lower than BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY's 60.5%.

For locale, NCES codes BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY as Town: Distant.

The student count changed little between 2020-21 (559) and 2024-25 (564).

This page is set up for the BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY community to discuss special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.

Rice County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
67,917
Census ACS
Median income
$83,181
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
40
8,301 students

Quick facts

School name
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY
District
NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Address
401 JEFFERSON PKWY, NORTHFIELD, MN 55057
Phone
(507) 664-3300
County
Rice County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
KG–05
Total enrollment
564
Teachers (FTE)
40
Student–teacher ratio
14.1:1
Free and reduced lunch
145 (26%)
Locale
32-Town: Distant
NCES ID
272388002841
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Other schools in NORTHFIELD
Other Bridgewater Elementary schools

One other US public school is named Bridgewater Elementary. BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is the largest of the 2.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY
How many students attend BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY?
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 564 students in grades KG-05.
Is BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 14.1:1 students per teacher at BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY.
How diverse is BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY?
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 77% White, 14% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY?
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is overseen by NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT in Rice County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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