Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 75 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 64 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 76 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (75) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (76).
School pathway
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsWhat this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyWhat this means: About 52% 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%.
Schools most like NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY
NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY's state test result (52.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY this school | 419 | 25.8% | 52.2% |
| HOMECROFT ELEMENTARY DULUTH | 448 | 26.3% | 60.7% |
| MAPLE LAKE ELEMENTARY MAPLE LAKE | 404 | 27.2% | 51.4% |
| CHATFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHATFIELD | 469 | 26.7% | 60.3% |
| Voyager Elementary ALEXANDRIA | 446 | 27.8% | 54.4% |
| ALBANY ELEMENTARY ALBANY | 380 | 23.7% | 53.1% |
Where NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Wright County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #290 of 844 | #11 of 20 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.4% | #248 of 844 | #10 of 20 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.9% | #345 of 844 | #14 of 20 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 419 | #446 of 1,130 | #11 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #515 of 769 | #10 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 11.5% | #753 of 796 | #19 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.8% | #744 of 942 | #13 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.4% | #111 of 499 | #1 of 14 |
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 419 | 28.2 | 14.8:1 | 26% (108) |
| 2023-24 | 408 | 28.7 | 14.2:1 | 28% (115) |
| 2022-23 | 437 | 27.4 | 15.9:1 | 28% (121) |
| 2020-21 | 438 | 25 | 17.5:1 | 17% (76) |
| 2017-18 | 547 | 33.4 | 16.4:1 | 23% (126) |
| 2015-16 | 543 | 31 | 17.5:1 | 22% (122) |
| 2010-11 | 622 | 31 | 20.1:1 | 30% (185) |
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (547 to 419); teachers down 15% (33.4 to 28.2).
About NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY
NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY is a mid-sized elementary school in BUFFALO, Minnesota. The school runs kindergarten through 5 and enrolls 419 students. Elementary schools in Minnesota have about 344 students on average; enrollment here is 22% higher.
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools runs NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY along with 9 other schools, enrolling 5,175 students in total.
Of every 100 students at NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY, about 94 are White. It is also 2% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 11%.
For every teacher at NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY, there are about 14.8 students; the school has 28.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in Minnesota, 13.7:1, is lower. There are 108 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 26% of enrollment. Public schools in Wright County average a similar 24%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY would be expected to post about 51.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 52.2%.
The school's county is Wright County. According to Census Bureau estimates, the median household earns about $107,209 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 34% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. Public schools in Wright County number 88, with about 27,879 students.
About 1.0 miles separate NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY from the closest public school, BUFFALO COMMUNITY MIDDLE. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY ranks 1st of 4 on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Town: Fringe.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 4% decline, from 438 to 419. The ratio of students to teachers went from 17.5:1 to 14.8:1 over the same years.
People who know NORTHWINDS ELEMENTARY can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Wright County at a glance
View full county profileQuick facts
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