ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY

ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY is a mid-sized elementary school in SAINT JAMES, Minnesota, part of ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. The school works with 502 students in grades K through 5. By comparison, Minnesota's public schools average about 344 students each, so ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY sits 46% above that benchmark.

Within ST. JAMES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, which oversees 4 schools and 1,143 students, ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 63% of enrollment. Other groups include 35% White. By comparison, Watonwan County as a whole is about 30% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY has 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 59% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 33.4%, the actual is 31.8%, a residual of -1.6 points.

Around the school, Watonwan County reports that the typical household earns roughly $71,699 per year, about 17% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Watonwan County runs 8 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,002 students), of which ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY is one.

The closest other public school is St. James Middle/High School, roughly 0.2 miles away. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 32.1%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Looking at the recent track record. ST. JAMES NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY's enrollment has expanded 11% since 2018, when it stood at 451 (now 502). Hispanic enrollment moved from 53% to 63% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.