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West Central Area N. Elementary

Q: Is West Central Area N. Elementary a good school?

West Central Area N. Elementary ranks 185 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

185^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

West Central Area N. Elementary is a public elementary school in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, serving 156 students in grades PK-4. The school consistently outperforms its district and the state of Minnesota in academic performance, with particularly strong results in math and reading proficiency.

In the 2024-2025 school year, West Central Area N. Elementary had 74.58% of students proficient or better in MCA-III Math, compared to 41.26% for the West Central Area district and 45.21% for the state of Minnesota. The school also ranked 7th out of 764 Minnesota elementary schools for low socioeconomic status students, with a 5-star rating. Over the past 10 years, West Central Area N. Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 25% of Minnesota elementary schools, with a 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Compared to its closest neighboring school, West Central Area S. Elementary, West Central Area N. Elementary outperforms in both math and reading proficiency. The school also compares favorably to larger, higher-ranked districts in the state, such as the Brandon-Evansville Public Schools district, which includes Evansville Elementary. With a relatively low student-teacher ratio, West Central Area N. Elementary appears to be providing an excellent educational experience for its students.

144

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,651

Per pupil spending ?

41%

Free/discounted lunch ?

411 1st St SE
Elbow Lake, MN 56531-4505

(218) 685-7500

District: West Central Area

Students who attend West Central Area N. Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	WCA Middle School
High:	West Central Area Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.1%

Two or more races:

6.3%

Hispanic:

4.9%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare West Central Area N. Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (64% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Minnesota elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg46%

Minnesota avg47%

185^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 17% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the West Central Area

142^nd of 446West Central Area among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	185 of 872	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	208 of 881	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	135 of 845	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.2	85 of 858	90.1%	★★★★★
2021	64.1	320 of 869	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.3	108 of 870	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.5	235 of 847	72.3%	★★★★☆
2017	70.2	260 of 853	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	75.9	178 of 848	79.0%	★★★★☆
2015	77.6	145 of 840	82.7%	★★★★☆
2014	71.1	231 of 826	72.0%	★★★★☆
2013	16.9	730 of 824	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.9	594 of 820	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.3	595 of 814	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	52.7	490 of 803	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.1	503 of 781	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	60.6	336 of 777	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.1	338 of 756	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.8	410 of 685	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	76.4	112 of 676	83.4%	★★★★☆
2003	46.1	447 of 674	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	81.5	111 of 799	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	68.8	247 of 809	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.6	349 of 787	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.7	111 of 799	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	62.0	315 of 783	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.6	121 of 787	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	141 of 774	81.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	7 of 764	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	48 of 793	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	57 of 774	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	64.3	244 of 728	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	279 of 812	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.0	188 of 826	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.4	42 of 799	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	85.1	68 of 808	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	60.1	332 of 784	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.5	115 of 798	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	55.8	406 of 779	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	62.6	156 of 524	70.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	60.5	263 of 714	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.0	300 of 730	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	254 of 712	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.3	147 of 725	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	42.2	452 of 710	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.3	259 of 722	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	331 of 712	53.5%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2023)70th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)63rd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math75%+29 vs state

Reading53%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Central Area N. Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
West Central Area N. Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	411 1st St SE	Elbow Lake	56531	Grant County	West Central Area	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 685-7500	144	15	9.6	41.0%	124 (86.1%)	4 (2.8%)	7 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.3%)	76.5	185^th of 872 public elementary schools	78.8%		74.6	208^th of 881 public elementary schools	76.4%	23	78.1	70.4			74.6	56.3	48.2			52.5	$13,651
Ashby Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Birch Ave	Ashby	56309	Grant County	Ashby Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 747-2257	178	16	11.2	33.1%	174 (97.8%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.3	215^th of 872 public elementary schools	75.3%		59.6	376^th of 881 public elementary schools	57.3%	161	80.0	66.7	52.4	42.9	61.3	60.0	44.4	71.4	59.3	58.1	$8,994
Evansville Elementary	Public	2-5	123 2nd Ave	Evansville	56326	Douglas County	Brandon-Evansville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 834-4084	163	8	19.4	32.5%	149 (91.4%)	2 (1.2%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	76.5	188^th of 872 public elementary schools	78.4%		77	171^st of 881 public elementary schools	80.6%	17	66.7	73.3	64.3		67.5	45.1	56.7	79.1		59.7	$11,068
Herman-Norcross Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	504 Lois Ave N	Herman	56248	Grant County	Herman-Norcross Community School	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 677-2291	56	9	5.9	41.1%	48 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.6%)								(n/a)					45.5					36.4	$17,973
Brandon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	206 3rd St W	Brandon	56315	Douglas County	Brandon-Evansville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 834-4084	107	12	9.2	40.2%	101 (94.4%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.7%)								(n/a)											$10,500
West Central Area S. Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	31 N Central	Kensington	56343	Douglas County	West Central Area	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 965-7600	138	12	11.1	39.9%	123 (89.1%)	3 (2.2%)	7 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	59.9	370^th of 872 public elementary schools	57.6%		40.2	583^rd of 881 public elementary schools	33.8%	213	72.2	54.6			60.8	61.1	39.4			47.1	$14,376

Frequently Asked Questions about West Central Area N. Elementary

Is West Central Area N. Elementary a good school?

West Central Area N. Elementary ranks 185^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of West Central Area N. Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Central Area N. Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : WCA Middle School
High : West Central Area Secondary

How many students attend West Central Area N. Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 144 students attended West Central Area N. Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of West Central Area N. Elementary?

Students at West Central Area N. Elementary are 86% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 3% African American.

What district is West Central Area N. Elementary in?

West Central Area

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Schools in Elbow Lake, MN

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.