BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY

Set in NORTHFIELD, Minnesota, BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is a well-populated elementary school, part of NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. It serves 564 students across grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 64% above the state mean of about 344.

NORTHFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT comprises 7 schools with combined enrollment of 3,849 students; BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is among them.

On the student-mix side, BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY records that 77% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 14% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 2% Black. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, On paper, BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY has 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.1:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 26% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Rice County (around 46%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 51.3%; this one delivers 60.5%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Rice County indicate median household income runs about $83,181, about 30% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Rice County runs 40 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,301 students), of which BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY is one.

NORTHFIELD MIDDLE is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 7 other public schools cluster around BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 56.8%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY's enrollment has shrank 5% since 2018, when it stood at 596 (now 564). Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 84% to 77%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.