Enrollment
257
Elementary
DISTRICT 328 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BUFFALO-HANOVER-MONTROSE SCHOOLS·NCES 270720002686
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY
301 2ND AVE NE, BUFFALO, MN 55313 · (763) 682-8400 · Wright County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL257 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
16%
41 students
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 48%
Community
0
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 43 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 41 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 46 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 41 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 41 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 45 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (43) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (45).
Student demographics
4%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 60% · US 70%
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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY→BUFFALO COMMUNITY MIDDLE
Based on grade levels within Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
51.2%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
44.8%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
56.5%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% 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 DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY's state test result (45.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY this school | 257 | 16.0% | 45.4% |
| AVON ELEMENTARY AVON | 264 | 18.6% | 56.1% |
| Chisago Lakes El. CHISAGO CITY | 347 | 17.3% | N/A |
| Scandia Elementary SCANDIA | 311 | 18.6% | 59.1% |
| Pike Lake Elementary DULUTH | 293 | 23.2% | 60.9% |
| Lake Harriet Upper Elementary MINNEAPOLIS | 284 | 13.7% | 76.4% |
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 DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Wright County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.4% | #429 of 844 | #16 of 20 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.8% | #508 of 844 | #16 of 20 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.2% | #371 of 844 | #16 of 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 257 | #706 of 1,130 | #20 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #682 of 769 | #16 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 3.8% | #788 of 796 | #21 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 16.0% | #885 of 942 | #21 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.5% | #172 of 244 | #5 of 7 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
257
+30 (+13%) vs 2020
+74% since 2000-01, when it was 148
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 16.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 257 | 15.5 | 16.6:1 | 16% (41) |
| 2023-24 | 256 | 15.5 | 16.6:1 | 20% (50) |
| 2022-23 | 224 | 15 | 15.0:1 | 19% (42) |
| 2020-21 | 227 | 14 | 16.2:1 | 12% (28) |
| 2017-18 | 246 | 14 | 17.6:1 | 16% (40) |
| 2015-16 | 249 | 13 | 19.1:1 | 18% (46) |
| 2010-11 | 266 | 13 | 20.5:1 | 24% (63) |
| 2000-01 | 148 | 10 | 14.8:1 | 22% (32) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (246 to 257); teachers up 11% (14 to 15.5).
About DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is a small elementary school in BUFFALO, Minnesota, one of the schools in Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools. Enrollment is 257 students in 2024-25, and the school serves kindergarten through 5. Against the 344-student average for elementary schools in Minnesota, enrollment here is 25% lower.
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY belongs to Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools, a district of 10 schools and 5,175 students.
Most students at DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY are White: 98% of enrollment. That is higher than the 89% White share among all Wright County residents. By the diversity index, DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY comes in at 4%.
Its teaching staff equals 15.5 full-time positions, a ratio of 16.6:1. That ratio is over the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Minnesota. Around 16% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (45.4%) and its predicted rate (56.5%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Minnesota schools.
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is located in Wright County, where median household income is about $107,209, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 34%, and about 4% of people live in poverty. DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is one of 88 public schools in Wright County, which together enroll about 27,879 students.
Nearest public school: BUFFALO EARLY CHILD. SP. ED PROGRAM, less than a tenth of a mile away. The five-mile area around DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY holds at least 8 other public schools. DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY's average proficiency of 45.4% compares with 44.7% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Under the NCES locale system, DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is Town: Fringe.
Enrollment was 227 in 2020-21 and 257 in 2024-25, a rise of 30 students.
Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Wright County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
148,269
Census ACS
Median income
$107,209
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
88
27,879 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools
- BUFFALO SENIOR HIGHHigh · 1,681 students
- BUFFALO COMMUNITY MIDDLEMiddle · 1,160 students
- NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARYElementary · 419 students
- Tatanka Elementary STEM SchoolElementary · 393 students
- HANOVER ELEMENTARYElementary · 368 students
- Montrose Elementary School of InnovElementary · 363 students
Other schools in BUFFALO
- BUFFALO SENIOR HIGHHigh · 1,681 students
- BUFFALO COMMUNITY MIDDLEMiddle · 1,160 students
- NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARYElementary · 419 students
- Tatanka Elementary STEM SchoolElementary · 393 students
- PARKSIDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 348 students
- BUFFALO EARLY CHILD. SP. ED PROGRAMElementary · 150 students
Other Discovery Elementary schools
16 other US public schools in 10 states are named Discovery Elementary. DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is the 17th largest of the 17.
- Discovery Elementary - 26Sioux Falls, SD · 873 students
- DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSUNRISE, FL · 789 students
- Discovery ElementarySan Marcos, CA · 717 students
- Discovery ElementaryBakersfield, CA · 706 students
- DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPALM BAY, FL · 679 students
Nearby schools
- BUFFALO EARLY CHILD. SP. ED PROGRAM0.0 mi · 150
- PARKSIDE ELEMENTARY0.1 mi · 348
- SWMetro Buffalo-Transitions0.6 mi · 26
- Tatanka Elementary STEM School0.6 mi · 393
- BUFFALO COMMUNITY MIDDLE1.0 mi · 1,160
- NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY1.1 mi · 419
Frequently asked questions
About DISCOVERY ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY?
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 257 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY serve?
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY?
The student-to-teacher ratio at DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is approximately 16.6:1 (15 FTE teachers).
How diverse is DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY?
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 98% White, 0% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY?
DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY is overseen by Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools in Wright County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.