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Dowling Elementary

Q: Is Dowling Elementary a good school?

Dowling Elementary ranks 267 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

267^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Dowling Elementary is a public elementary school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving 315 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Minneapolis Public School District, which is ranked 300 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dowling Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in both math and reading proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 55.83% of Dowling students were proficient or better in math, compared to 35.79% for the district and 45.21% for the state. In reading, 60.49% of Dowling students were proficient or better, compared to 40.79% for the district and 49.59% for the state. The school's performance is particularly strong in 3rd and 5th grade reading, where it exceeds the district and state by a significant margin.

While Dowling Elementary's academic performance is generally stronger than nearby schools within the Minneapolis Public School District, such as Hiawatha Elementary and Northrop Elementary, the picture is more mixed when compared to schools in the neighboring Saint Paul Public Schools district. For example, Horace Mann School in Saint Paul outperforms Dowling Elementary across most academic measures, ranking among the top 5% of Minnesota elementary schools.

399

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,719

Per pupil spending ?

39.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3900 W River Pkwy
Minneapolis, MN 55406-8888

(612) 668-4410

District: Minneapolis Public School District

Students who attend Dowling Elementary usually attend:

High:

South High

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.1%

African American:

19.8%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Dowling Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (58% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Minnesota median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school58%

District avg38%

Minnesota avg47%

267^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 29Elementary Schools in the Minneapolis Public School District

300^th of 446Minneapolis 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
2025	69.9	267 of 872	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.6	285 of 881	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	290 of 845	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.3	249 of 858	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	54.2	456 of 869	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.6	413 of 870	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.1	381 of 847	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.2	425 of 853	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.1	366 of 848	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.0	420 of 840	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.5	314 of 826	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.0	316 of 824	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.9	304 of 820	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.3	304 of 814	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.7	419 of 803	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.9	277 of 434	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.1	457 of 781	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.2	515 of 777	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.6	445 of 756	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	37.4	522 of 685	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	37.2	512 of 676	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	40.7	489 of 674	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	196 of 298	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	156 of 310	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.8	69 of 279	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	73.1	61 of 282	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	56.2	86 of 227	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	81 of 283	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	101 of 266	62.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2018	72.9	38 of 242	84.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	68.8	241 of 799	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.6	229 of 809	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	313 of 787	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.8	175 of 799	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	47.3	484 of 783	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.3	293 of 787	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	377 of 774	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	409 of 764	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.9	506 of 793	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.5	273 of 774	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.8	176 of 663	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	34.8	484 of 683	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.1	373 of 740	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.9	344 of 728	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	287 of 812	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	340 of 826	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	281 of 799	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	313 of 808	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	375 of 784	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.6	446 of 798	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.7	368 of 779	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2021	36.0	32 of 45	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.4	29 of 96	69.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	83.5	50 of 562	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	33.8	367 of 515	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	83.8	68 of 714	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	83.6	69 of 730	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	67.1	195 of 712	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	120 of 725	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	63.7	223 of 710	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.3	121 of 722	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.5	106 of 712	85.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)91st percentile+22 vs school

White (2025)90th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)84th percentile+29 vs school

Female (2025)70th percentile~ school

Male (2025)65th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile-23 vs school

African American (2025)34th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)29th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading60%+11 vs state

Math56%+11 vs state

3.4

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 9, 2018

My twins are in Kindergarten, and the environment is amazing. They have learned so much in short time. One of my kids is in level J of reading (He reads chapter books), and the other one is in level E. They love math thanks to the system that their teacher uses. They are very organized at school and now at home. I could not be happier.

Thanks,

Marlyse Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, March 27, 2017

My son is just about to wrap up 5th grade at Dowling, and so far there has been nothing but problems. As the other commenter wrote, the atmosphere at Dowling is anything but progressive and inclusive. The staff seem mostly concerned with creating an atmosphere of absolute obedience, which I suppose is fine if your trying to turn out soldiers, but not so great when trying to produce intelligent, curious young minds. Bullying is also a problem at Dowling, and as many times as my son has brought to the attention of the staff, it still has not been dealt with. Avoid this school at all cost. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, December 15, 2014

Avoid. Not what it seems. Very old school teaching-non progressive. NOT ENVIRONMENTAL!!!!!!!!!! It was at one point, but that aspect has flown. Active parents are headed to Upper Mississippi Academy (public school/ charter) which is really trying to match environmental values for families. Depressing tours-you really don't get a feel for details. lacking in any understanding of the what the coursework is. Unclear. Our leader actually told the group that she just saves up the recycling and throws it at home! Teachers routinely yell at students and don't do much in the way of creating real community-no Responsive Classroom. Morgue-like atmoshere. Scary if you want something more from public education. Principal mis-threaded for the job as is vice principal. They should be in business. Not able to speak intelligently about academics. It sure had the feel of boot camp education. factory farming. Close Quote

Schools Near Dowling 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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th 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 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Dowling Elementary	Public	K-5	3900 W River Pkwy	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	No	No	No	(612) 668-4410	399	25	16.0	39.3%	228 (57.1%)	79 (19.8%)	34 (8.5%)	5 (1.3%)	17 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.0%)	69.9	267^th of 872 public elementary schools	69.4%		67.6	285^th of 881 public elementary schools	67.7%	18	64.0	62.3	43.3				55.8	64.0	49.0	67.2				60.5	$15,719
Howe Elementary	Public	3-5	3733 43rd Ave S	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	No	No	No	(612) 668-4640	230	18	12.8	30.4%	151 (65.7%)	22 (9.6%)	29 (12.6%)	4 (1.7%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.7%)	81.2	132^nd of 872 public elementary schools	84.9%		74.8	204^th of 881 public elementary schools	76.8%	72	69.4	70.2	50.7				63.8	65.8	64.7	69.9				66.7	$14,626
Hiawatha Elementary	Public	K-2	4201 42nd Ave S	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	No	No	No	(612) 668-4610	201	17	12.1	34.8%	128 (63.7%)	17 (8.5%)	24 (11.9%)	4 (2.0%)	7 (3.5%)	1 (0.5%)	20 (10.0%)								(n/a)															$15,227
Groveland Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2045 St Clair Ave	Saint Paul	55105	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8760	409	27	14.9	38.4%	210 (51.3%)	84 (20.5%)	27 (6.6%)	40 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (11.0%)	75.1	207^th of 872 public elementary schools	76.3%		67.8	283^rd of 881 public elementary schools	67.9%	76	70.7	67.3	44.4				62.0	61.6	55.6	64.2				60.6	$15,304
Horace Mann School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Eleanor Ave	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 293-8965	445	25	17.8	19.6%	312 (70.1%)	32 (7.2%)	42 (9.4%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.0%)	90.4	43^rd of 872 public elementary schools	95.1%		90.3	36^th of 881 public elementary schools	95.9%	7	71.4	82.9	69.2				74.8	63.6	79.0	83.1				74.8	$14,581
Northrop Elementary	Public	K-5	4315 31st Ave S	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	No	No	No	(612) 668-4520	381	23	16.5	16.5%	288 (75.6%)	20 (5.2%)	35 (9.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.4%)	86.8	76^th of 872 public elementary schools	91.3%		84.5	97^th of 881 public elementary schools	89.0%	21	83.1	71.7	52.2				69.2	75.7	61.7	79.1				72.6	$11,947
Friendship Academy of Arts-Primary	Public, Charter	K-1	2600 E 38th St	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Friendship Academy of the Arts	Yes	No	No	Yes	(612) 879-6703	44	1	88.0	88.6%	0 (0.0%)	43 (97.7%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$14,496
Four Seasons Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	318 Moore St	Saint Paul	55104	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 290-7595	256	30	8.6	91.4%	32 (12.5%)	80 (31.3%)	78 (30.5%)	45 (17.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.8%)	1.8	871^st of 872 public elementary schools	0.1%		1.8	878^th of 881 public elementary schools	0.3%	7	10.6	5.0	2.4				6.3	6.4	0.0	5.0				3.9	$17,406
Bdote Learning Center	Public, Charter	K-8	3216 E 29th Street	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Bdote Learning Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(612) 729-9266	65	6	10.1	100.0%	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (81.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.7%)								(n/a)							0.0							4.0	$27,837
Sullivan Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	3100 E 28th St	Minneapolis	55406	Hennepin County	Minneapolis Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(612) 668-5000	640	62	10.3	84.8%	72 (11.3%)	416 (65.0%)	64 (10.0%)	7 (1.1%)	28 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (8.1%)	10.9	785^th of 872 public elementary schools	10.0%		11	786^th of 881 public elementary schools	10.8%	1	31.5	33.3	5.7	13.0	16.4	8.3	17.9	25.5	19.7	14.6	23.9	25.8	14.7	20.6	$19,672

Frequently Asked Questions about Dowling Elementary

What schools do graduates of Dowling Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dowling Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : South High

What district is Dowling Elementary in?

Minneapolis Public School District

Is Dowling Elementary a good school?

Dowling Elementary ranks 267^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Dowling Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 399 students attended Dowling Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Dowling Elementary?

Students at Dowling Elementary are 57% White, 20% African American, 9% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 1% Asian.

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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.