Woodbury Leadership Academy

The Woodbury Leadership Academy district in Minnesota serves about 878 students across two schools: Woodbury Leadership Academy Lower (elementary, grades K–5, 658 students) and Woodbury Leadership Academy Upper (middle, grades 6–10, 220 students). The district ranks 53rd of 458 Minnesota districts, at the 88th percentile, with 4 stars, and both schools are also rated 4 stars in 2025-2026.

The Lower school is clearly the stronger of the two. In 2025-2026 it beat the district and the state in every subject: Math at 61.7% proficient (state 44.9%), Reading at 60.0% (state 48.6%), and Science at 44.7% (state 25.5%). Its brightest spots are 5th grade Reading (74.2% vs. state 54.5%) and 5th grade Science (44.7% vs. state 25.9%). The Upper school is more uneven: Reading (53.5%) is above state but below district, Science (27.8%) is slightly above state, and Math (39.8%) falls below both district and state. Compared with the Upper school, the Lower school leads by 21.9 points in Math, 16.5 points in Reading, and 16.9 points in Science — though the two serve different grade spans, so this is not a perfect comparison.

Two concerns stand out. The Lower school slipped year over year, with Math falling from 71.6% to 61.7% and Reading from 67.16% to 60.0%, even as Science improved. The Upper school's weak points are 8th grade Math (28.9% vs. state 42.3%) and End-of-Course Science (28.6% vs. state 35%), while its 8th grade Science (27.3% vs. state 16.7%) is a genuine strength. Free/reduced lunch rates are nearly identical at the two schools (23.25% and 24.09%), and per-grade enrollment drops sharply after 5th grade, from roughly 110 students per grade to about 44, suggesting attrition or a different upper-school model. Overall, this is a strong district with a standout elementary program and a secondary program that is solid in Reading and Science but needs attention in Math.