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Poplar Bridge Elementary

Q: Is Poplar Bridge Elementary a good school?

Poplar Bridge Elementary ranks 366 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

366^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Poplar Bridge Elementary is a K–5 school at 8401 Palmer Rd in Bloomington, MN, serving 475 students as part of Bloomington Public Schools — larger than every nearby school except Cornelia and Olson. In 2025–26 it ranked 366th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools (58th percentile, 3 stars), placing it above its own district's statewide standing. It has been a steady 3-star school for a decade, with a high point of 4 stars in 2016–17.

Academically, Poplar Bridge clears both its district and the state in all three subjects. Math proficiency is 49.6% (district 39%, state 44.9%), reading 52.2% (district 42.3%, state 48.6%), and science 31% (district 19.9%, state 25.5%) — its biggest edge is in science. Grade-level results are mixed: 4th graders beat the state in math and reading, while 3rd-grade math, 5th-grade math (33.8% vs. the state's 41.9%), and 5th-grade reading fall short. Among 11 nearby schools it ranks 5th, ahead of Normandale Hills Elementary, Olson Elementary, Westwood Elementary, Sheridan Hills Elementary, New Code Academy Elementary, and International Spanish Language Academy, but behind Ridgeview Elementary, Cornelia Elementary, and Hillcrest Elementary.

Two patterns stand out. Science proficiency has dropped four years in a row, from 58.75% in 2022–23 to 31% in 2025–26, and reading has slipped from 60.41% to 52.2%, while math has held steady. On student groups, results for students with disabilities are a genuine strength (68th–79th percentile for three years) and English learners have improved sharply, but low-income students have sat in the bottom quartile (25th–27th percentile, 1 star) three years running. Free/reduced lunch (32.63%) and class size (13.9 students per teacher) have been stable, so the decline isn't easily explained by shifting resources. Bottom line: a consistently average-to-slightly-above-average school with a solid math core and room to grow.

475

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,294

Per pupil spending ?

32.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

90.8%

Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 5.7% (MMR)

8401 Palmer Rd
Bloomington, MN 55437-1389

(952) 681-5400

District: Bloomington Public Schools

Students who attend Poplar Bridge Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Olson Middle
High:	Jefferson High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.7%

Hispanic:

15.6%

African American:

10.1%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Poplar Bridge Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (48% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Above the Minnesota median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg37%

Minnesota avg43%

366^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Bloomington Public Schools

246^th of 458Bloomington Public Schools 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
2026	58.5	366 of 869	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.4	364 of 872	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	417 of 881	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	314 of 845	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	350 of 858	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.7	409 of 869	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	430 of 870	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.7	327 of 847	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	70.7	254 of 853	70.2%	★★★★☆
2016	66.0	307 of 848	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.4	340 of 840	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.6	347 of 826	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.0	317 of 824	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.0	440 of 820	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	64.9	312 of 814	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.8	219 of 803	72.7%	★★★★☆
2009	75.3	86 of 434	80.2%	★★★★☆
2008	75.4	137 of 781	82.5%	★★★★☆
2007	81.6	68 of 777	91.2%	★★★★★
2006	73.2	158 of 756	79.1%	★★★★☆
2005	71.4	178 of 685	74.0%	★★★★☆
2004	81.3	63 of 676	90.7%	★★★★★
2003	70.1	172 of 674	74.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	32.3	214 of 310	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	204 of 279	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.8	138 of 283	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.2	107 of 266	59.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	162 of 305	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.4	277 of 303	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	37.8	176 of 276	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.8	52 of 239	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	65.8	52 of 242	78.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	56.4	354 of 790	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.4	388 of 799	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	419 of 809	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.0	339 of 787	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.7	298 of 799	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	342 of 783	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	363 of 787	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.5	221 of 774	71.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	78.8	29 of 256	88.7%	★★★★☆
2025	54.7	81 of 238	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.8	125 of 249	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.8	30 of 209	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	57.2	60 of 153	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	101 of 219	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.3	104 of 220	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	556 of 764	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.0	573 of 764	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.0	575 of 793	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.3	513 of 774	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.2	499 of 663	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.5	509 of 683	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	519 of 740	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	523 of 728	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	56.4	361 of 807	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.8	326 of 812	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	374 of 826	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	296 of 799	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	379 of 808	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.0	434 of 784	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.8	436 of 798	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.4	431 of 779	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	60.6	184 of 579	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.7	117 of 562	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	67.1	138 of 572	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	50.8	241 of 524	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.1	286 of 500	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.6	113 of 417	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	52.1	259 of 515	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	166 of 463	64.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	315 of 710	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.3	290 of 714	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.4	203 of 730	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	155 of 712	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	67.1	205 of 725	71.7%	★★★★☆
2021	57.6	282 of 710	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.4	217 of 722	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.7	197 of 712	72.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)68th percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile~ school

Male (2026)55th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)55th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)47th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2024)31st percentile-22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading52%+4 vs state

Math50%+5 vs state

Science31%+6 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 19, 2015

My children have both been going to Poplar Bridge since Kindergarten. The teachers and staff really care about the kids and the parents. Thank you to Poplar Bridge for making such positive improvements in the past year! They had 1 year of a bad principal which accounts for some lower test scores and comments, but the school and administration quickly took action and let him go! Thank you! My children currently love the new principal who is very experienced and well respected in Minnesota, and the school is back on track. The test scores are up and the teachers seem so much happier too. Close Quote

Schools Near Poplar Bridge Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)				MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Poplar Bridge Elementary	Public	K-5	8401 Palmer Rd	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 681-5400	475	34	13.9	32.6%	279 (58.7%)	48 (10.1%)	74 (15.6%)	29 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (9.3%)	58.5	366^th of 869 public elementary schools	57.9%		60.4	364^th of 872 public elementary schools	58.3%	2	50.0	54.3	52.1	52.2	31.0	31.0	55.8	55.9	33.8	49.6	90.8%	5.7%	$14,294
New Code Academy Elementary	Public, Virtual	K-5	1301 W 104th St	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(952) 444-1234	85	8	10.7	67.1%	33 (38.8%)	28 (32.9%)	11 (12.9%)	5 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.4%)								(n/a)				56.3						40.0
International Spanish Language Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	5350 W 78th St	Edina	55439	Hennepin County	International Spanish Language Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(952) 746-6020	447	23	19.5	26.2%	223 (49.9%)	12 (2.7%)	160 (35.8%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (9.6%)	50.5	452^nd of 869 public elementary schools	48.0%		69.3	278^th of 872 public elementary schools	68.1%	174	31.3	58.3	64.6	50.0	18.8	18.8	48.4	64.4	27.1	48.0	84.1%	1.8%	$10,040
Normandale Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9501 Toledo Ave S	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-7000	440	29	14.9	48.4%	207 (47.0%)	83 (18.9%)	92 (20.9%)	20 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (8.4%)	40	563^rd of 869 public elementary schools	35.2%		48.3	491^st of 872 public elementary schools	43.7%	72	42.7	47.8	43.1	44.7	12.3	12.3	50.0	54.3	20.5	42.7	79.5%	16.7%	$13,924
Ridgeview Elementary	Public	K-5	9400 Nesbitt Rd	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-7100	390	28	13.8	23.8%	265 (67.9%)	51 (13.1%)	23 (5.9%)	10 (2.6%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	37 (9.5%)	89.4	48^th of 869 public elementary schools	94.5%		86.7	77^th of 872 public elementary schools	91.2%	29	71.4	75.7	73.2	73.6	40.0	40.0	74.6	74.3	64.8	71.2	90.2%	9.8%	$13,266
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	K-5	9301 Thomas Rd	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 681-5300	373	26	14.3	20.9%	264 (70.8%)	47 (12.6%)	21 (5.6%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.1%)	72.8	230^th of 869 public elementary schools	73.5%		57.6	397^th of 872 public elementary schools	54.5%	167	57.3	54.9	65.6	59.0	43.8	43.8	67.9	64.8	33.3	56.7	93.5%	4.8%	$14,094
Cornelia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7000 Cornelia Dr	Edina	55435	Hennepin County	Edina Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(952) 848-4600	617	45	13.6	26.6%	301 (48.8%)	89 (14.4%)	65 (10.5%)	110 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	51 (8.3%)	79.8	150^th of 869 public elementary schools	82.7%		82.1	122^nd of 872 public elementary schools	86.0%	28	62.2	60.0	68.9	63.7	41.5	41.5	63.7	64.5	55.7	61.2	89.9%	8.9%	$15,051
Olson Elementary	Public	K-5	4501 W 102nd St	Bloomington	55437	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 806-8800	524	32	16.4	40.5%	243 (46.4%)	109 (20.8%)	87 (16.6%)	39 (7.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (7.8%)	40.2	561^st of 869 public elementary schools	35.4%		47.7	499^th of 872 public elementary schools	42.8%	62	37.4	51.2	39.4	42.4	16.8	16.8	57.1	50.0	26.0	43.9	89%	11%	$13,140
Seven Hills - Richfield Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	1401 W 76th St	Richfield	55423	Hennepin County	Seven Hills Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(612) 314-7600	303	34	8.9	37.3%	104 (34.3%)	65 (21.5%)	42 (13.9%)	56 (18.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (11.9%)	58.4	369^th of 869 public elementary schools	57.5%		76.6	183^rd of 872 public elementary schools	79.0%	186	51.9	51.9	58.2	54.0	23.6	23.6	61.1	51.9	38.2	50.3	83%	6.4%	$8,867
Sheridan Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6400 Sheridan Ave S	Richfield	55423	Hennepin County	Richfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(612) 798-6900	406	31	12.9	48.3%	168 (41.4%)	79 (19.5%)	102 (25.1%)	21 (5.2%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.1%)	45.3	513^th of 869 public elementary schools	41.0%		39.3	579^th of 872 public elementary schools	33.6%	66	46.2	32.8	50.0	43.8	23.7	23.7	47.0	44.1	44.2	45.0	73.8%	4.6%	$15,782

Frequently Asked Questions about Poplar Bridge Elementary

Is Poplar Bridge Elementary a good school?

Poplar Bridge Elementary ranks 366^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Poplar Bridge Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 475 students attended Poplar Bridge Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Poplar Bridge Elementary?

Students at Poplar Bridge Elementary are 59% White, 16% Hispanic, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Poplar Bridge Elementary attend?

Students who attend Poplar Bridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Olson Middle
High : Jefferson High School

What district is Poplar Bridge Elementary in?

Bloomington Public Schools

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

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.