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Pinecrest Elementary

Q: Is Pinecrest Elementary a good school?

Pinecrest Elementary ranks 190 th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

190^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Pinecrest Elementary is a K–4 school serving 436 students in Hastings Public School District in Hastings, Minnesota, a small river town about 30 miles southeast of the Twin Cities, with its two closest peer schools — Kennedy Elementary and Christa McAuliffe Elementary — sitting within about a mile.

Pinecrest is on a clear multi-year climb. In 2025-2026 it ranks 190th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — 78th percentile and 4 stars — its best showing in the reported history and its first 4-star rating in that window, up from the 38th percentile in 2017-2018. It now leads both of its in-district neighbors, a reversal from the previous two years. Its reading proficiency (59.8%) is the highest in its comparison set of ten schools, including Cottage Grove Elementary and Grey Cloud Elementary, and its math proficiency (65.6%) trails only Cottage Grove. Notably, Pinecrest outperforms its own district by a wider margin than any peer school beats theirs. The contrast with Kennedy Elementary, just 0.83 miles away with similar enrollment, is striking: the two schools sit 270 ranks apart.

Growth is broad-based. Low-income students rank at the 90th percentile statewide with 5 stars — higher than the school's own overall rank — while special education students jumped from the 47th to the 73rd percentile in a single year. A widening gender gap (89th percentile for female students versus 65th for male students) is the main internal watch item. Worth monitoring: this year's reading gain follows two flat years, so the next data cycle will show whether it holds. Overall, Pinecrest is producing strong, widely shared results with a moderately higher-need population and more students per teacher than most schools it outperforms.

436

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,559

Per pupil spending ?

26.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

975 12th St W
Hastings, MN 55033-2596

(651) 480-7284

District: Hastings Public School District

Students who attend Pinecrest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hastings Middle School
High:	Hastings High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.1%

Hispanic:

9.9%

Two or more races:

8.3%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Pinecrest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (63% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Minnesota elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg45%

Minnesota avg47%

190^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 26 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Hastings Public School District

224^th of 458Hastings Public School District 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	76.3	190 of 869	78.1%	★★★★☆
2025	65.2	322 of 872	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	291 of 881	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.7	384 of 845	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.4	402 of 858	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.2	387 of 869	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	422 of 870	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	526 of 847	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.9	500 of 853	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.7	410 of 848	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.4	275 of 840	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.0	262 of 826	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.3	353 of 824	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.3	332 of 820	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.4	406 of 814	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	52.0	501 of 803	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.4	205 of 434	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.9	460 of 781	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.5	538 of 777	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.0	526 of 756	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.8	533 of 685	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	64.2	254 of 676	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2003	50.5	411 of 674	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	83.4	84 of 790	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	65.8	275 of 799	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.7	255 of 809	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	216 of 787	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	63.9	307 of 799	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.7	354 of 783	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	325 of 787	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	475 of 774	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	76 of 764	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	64.1	234 of 764	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	391 of 793	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	466 of 774	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	474 of 683	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.0	561 of 740	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.9	418 of 728	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	284 of 807	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.5	361 of 812	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.5	322 of 826	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.4	521 of 799	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	487 of 808	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.1	381 of 784	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	462 of 798	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.8	507 of 779	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	158 of 579	72.7%	★★★★☆
2025	46.4	299 of 562	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.0	184 of 572	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.8	323 of 524	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	339 of 500	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	224 of 417	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.3	388 of 515	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.8	260 of 463	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	220 of 710	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.3	435 of 714	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	411 of 730	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	432 of 712	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	496 of 725	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	411 of 710	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.4	484 of 722	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.4	607 of 712	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)90th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)89th percentile+11 vs school

Special Education (2026)73rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math66%+21 vs state

Reading60%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pinecrest 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)				MCA-IV Science (2026)		MCA-III Math (2026)				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 (2025)	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	Total
Pinecrest Elementary	Public	K-4	975 12th St W	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 480-7284	436	31	14.2	26.1%	345 (79.1%)	2 (0.5%)	43 (9.9%)	9 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.3%)	76.3	190^th of 869 public elementary schools	78.1%		65.2	322^nd of 872 public elementary schools	63.1%	132	58.8	60.6		59.8			65.0	66.0		65.6	$10,559
Special Services	Public	K-8	1000 11th St W	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 480-7000	2	0			1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)								(n/a)											$3,650
Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-4	1175 Tyler St	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 480-7223	461	30	15.5	35.4%	373 (80.9%)	5 (1.1%)	38 (8.2%)	8 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.6%)	49.8	460^th of 869 public elementary schools	47.1%		50.2	473^rd of 872 public elementary schools	45.8%	13	40.7	47.5		43.9			56.5	50.6		53.8	$11,838
Christa McAuliffe Elementary	Public	K-4	1601 W 12th St	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 480-7390	470	35	13.3	33.0%	366 (77.9%)	24 (5.1%)	37 (7.9%)	7 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (7.0%)	67.1	283^rd of 869 public elementary schools	67.4%		73.3	226^th of 872 public elementary schools	74.1%	57	56.7	52.4		54.5			60.0	60.6		60.3	$11,550
Armstrong Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8855 Inwood Ave S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-4101	325	28	11.5	37.2%	173 (53.2%)	33 (10.2%)	39 (12.0%)	43 (13.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (11.1%)	60.6	340^th of 869 public elementary schools	60.9%		49.3	480^th of 872 public elementary schools	45.0%	140	49.1	53.6	57.7	53.3	20.4	20.4	59.6	60.7	45.5	55.4	$15,934
Hillside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8177 Hillside Tr S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-4001	417	36	11.5	31.7%	244 (58.5%)	40 (9.6%)	48 (11.5%)	46 (11.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.1%)	49.6	465^th of 869 public elementary schools	46.5%		52.9	448^th of 872 public elementary schools	48.6%	17	45.3	39.1	48.8	44.7	27.5	27.5	56.4	54.7	33.8	47.7	$13,590
Pine Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	9015 Hadley Ave S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-3901	502	38	13.0	27.3%	297 (59.2%)	48 (9.6%)	50 (10.0%)	69 (13.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.2%)	37.6	580^th of 869 public elementary schools	33.3%		34.4	602^nd of 872 public elementary schools	31.0%	22	42.1	34.6	44.2	40.7	13.8	13.8	60.6	42.3	29.8	44.4	$13,370
Grey Cloud Elementary	Public	K-5	9525 Indian Blvd S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-4201	797	50	15.8	16.4%	527 (66.1%)	78 (9.8%)	52 (6.5%)	83 (10.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (6.6%)	66.4	287^th of 869 public elementary schools	67.0%		67	301^st of 872 public elementary schools	65.5%	14	49.2	54.2	63.4	55.5	28.2	28.2	56.8	59.5	54.0	57.0	$12,798
Crestview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7830 80th St S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 425-3801	425	36	11.8	48.0%	218 (51.3%)	47 (11.1%)	59 (13.9%)	51 (12.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.5%)	43.3	533^rd of 869 public elementary schools	38.7%		30.5	641^st of 872 public elementary schools	26.5%	108	38.8	40.5	42.9	40.7	20.3	20.3	52.2	51.9	41.4	48.6	$14,724
Pullman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1260 Selby Ave	Saint Paul Park	55071	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 425-3601	420	35	11.8	39.8%	215 (51.2%)	33 (7.9%)	50 (11.9%)	65 (15.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (12.6%)	27.5	660^th of 869 public elementary schools	24.1%		32	624^th of 872 public elementary schools	28.4%	36	33.8	29.3	43.3	35.7	13.6	13.6	52.0	35.0	19.4	36.1	$14,778

Frequently Asked Questions about Pinecrest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Pinecrest Elementary?

Students at Pinecrest Elementary are 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Pinecrest Elementary in?

Hastings Public School District

What schools do graduates of Pinecrest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pinecrest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hastings Middle School
High : Hastings High School

How many students attend Pinecrest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 436 students attended Pinecrest Elementary.

Is Pinecrest Elementary a good school?

Pinecrest Elementary ranks 190^th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Pinecrest Elementary!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

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

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 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.