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Cowern Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

753^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Cowern Elementary is a PK–5 school in North Saint Paul, Minnesota — a Twin Cities suburb — serving 413 students as part of the North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale district, which ranks 341st of 458 Minnesota districts. Cowern's own 2025–26 rank is 753rd of 869 schools (13th percentile, 1 star), continuing a long slide from 33rd–38th percentile and 2 stars in 2015–16 through 2018–19 to mostly 1 star since 2020–21. In 2025–26, proficiency was 23.7% in math, 26.0% in reading, and 14.0% in science — below the district (29.5%, 35.3%, 16.8%) and well below the state (44.9%, 48.6%, 25.5%).

Among nearby schools, Cowern is near the bottom but not the lowest: it outperforms Hazel Park Preparatory Academy, Frost Lake Elementary School, and North Metro Flex Academy in all three subjects, and is roughly tied with its closest peer, Justice Alan Page Elementary School, 0.66 miles away. Same-district neighbors Castle Elementary, Weaver Elementary, and Richardson Elementary post higher scores, and Sejong Academy Lower School is stronger in math and science. Grade-level results vary sharply: 4th-grade math is a relative bright spot at 36.1%, close to the district average, while 5th-grade math is just 9.1%, far below same-district peers, and 5th-grade reading is the lowest among those peers. All-grade scores have declined for four reported years, with science falling fastest, from 25.71% in 2022–23 to 14.0% in 2025–26.

About 71.91% of Cowern students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, similar to Justice Alan Page, Weaver, and Richardson — yet Richardson, at 73.09%, and Sejong Academy, at 85.2%, achieve stronger results in at least some subjects, suggesting poverty alone does not explain the outcomes. The student-teacher ratio also rose to 16.5 in 2024–25 from 11.3 the year before. Several student groups are served well below statewide norms, including English language learners (19th percentile in 2025–26, down from 64th in 2023–24), students in special education (13th percentile), low-income students (11th percentile), and female students (5th percentile). The clearest priorities are 5th-grade math and reading, science across grades, and support for these groups.

413

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,749

Per pupil spending ?

71.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

82.5%

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

Exemptions: 17.5% (MMR)

2131 N Margaret St
North Saint Paul, MN 55109-8888

(651) 748-6800

District: North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale

Students who attend Cowern Elementary usually attend:

High:

North Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

33.2%

African American:

21.1%

White:

19.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg30%

Minnesota avg43%

753^rd of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale

341^st of 458North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale 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	14.4	753 of 869	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.7	704 of 872	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	740 of 881	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	668 of 845	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.2	605 of 858	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	646 of 869	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.6	574 of 870	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	569 of 847	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.0	533 of 853	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.5	525 of 848	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.0	535 of 840	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.9	475 of 826	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.6	527 of 824	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.6	392 of 820	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.2	346 of 814	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	42.3	590 of 803	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	51.4	255 of 434	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.2	369 of 781	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.6	509 of 777	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.6	331 of 756	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	46.3	459 of 685	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	59.4	307 of 676	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2003	37.0	513 of 674	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	214 of 315	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.4	167 of 298	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	201 of 310	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.9	94 of 279	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.3	65 of 282	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	48.1	146 of 266	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	10.5	139 of 143	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	122 of 140	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	122 of 154	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	86 of 128	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	73 of 131	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	87 of 136	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	27.9	248 of 305	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.1	153 of 303	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	109 of 303	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	145 of 276	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	750 of 790	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.7	703 of 799	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	742 of 809	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	691 of 787	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	584 of 799	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	632 of 783	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	649 of 787	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	597 of 774	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	56.8	84 of 219	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	66 of 220	70.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	680 of 764	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.9	605 of 764	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	668 of 793	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	557 of 774	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.0	395 of 663	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.2	326 of 683	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.3	490 of 740	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	483 of 728	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	629 of 807	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.4	608 of 812	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	632 of 826	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	565 of 799	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	557 of 808	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	558 of 784	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.3	370 of 798	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.8	442 of 779	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	21.8	66 of 77	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.7	48 of 87	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	504 of 579	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	494 of 562	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	411 of 572	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	68.6	122 of 524	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	88.1	19 of 417	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	49.5	280 of 515	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.4	341 of 463	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	641 of 714	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	699 of 730	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	659 of 712	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	570 of 725	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	666 of 710	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.8	433 of 722	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	469 of 712	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2019)62nd percentile+28 vs school

African American (2026)32nd percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)19th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)14th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)13th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile~ school

White (2025)10th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2026)3rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading26%-23 vs state

Math24%-21 vs state

Science14%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cowern 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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Cowern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2131 N Margaret St	North Saint Paul	55109	Ramsey County	North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 748-6800	413	25	16.5	71.9%	81 (19.6%)	87 (21.1%)	57 (13.8%)	137 (33.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	47 (11.4%)	14.4	753^rd of 869 public elementary schools	13.3%		21.7	704^th of 872 public elementary schools	19.3%	49	22.8	29.0	25.9				26.0	14.0		14.0	24.6	36.1	9.1				23.7	82.5%	17.5%	$15,749
North Metro Flex Academy	Public, Charter	K-6	2350 Helen St N	North Saint Paul	55109	Ramsey County	North Metro Flex Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 300-6300	146	12	11.7	77.4%	37 (25.3%)	52 (35.6%)	34 (23.3%)	7 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (11.0%)	10.1	799^th of 869 public elementary schools	8.1%		20.7	709^th of 872 public elementary schools	18.7%	90	14.3	25.0	23.8	23.1			22.1	4.8		4.8	35.7	25.0	9.5	15.4			20.6	90%	0%	$15,422
Justice Alan Page Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 Holloway Ave E	Maplewood	55109	Ramsey County	North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 748-6600	804	53	15.2	71.4%	154 (19.2%)	171 (21.3%)	135 (16.8%)	246 (30.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (12.1%)	14.3	754^th of 869 public elementary schools	13.2%		16.5	739^th of 872 public elementary schools	15.3%	15	19.0	20.3	32.1				23.6	15.3		15.3	20.4	22.8	27.5				23.5	87.3%	6.9%
Richardson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 17th Ave E	North Saint Paul	55109	Ramsey County	North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 748-6900	654	42	15.6	73.1%	95 (14.5%)	101 (15.4%)	76 (11.6%)	300 (45.9%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (11.9%)	26.8	667^th of 869 public elementary schools	23.2%		17.5	732^nd of 872 public elementary schools	16.1%	65	28.0	41.5	44.2				38.0	15.5		15.5	29.0	41.5	23.5				30.7	93%	4%	$13,758
Castle Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6675 50th St N	Oakdale	55128	Washington County	North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 748-6700	630	37	16.8	64.8%	172 (27.3%)	104 (16.5%)	125 (19.8%)	174 (27.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (8.7%)	29.7	645^th of 869 public elementary schools	25.8%		28.7	659^th of 872 public elementary schools	24.4%	14	25.5	32.6	50.6				35.4	20.2		20.2	33.6	30.4	41.6				35.1	91.4%	5.5%	$14,340
The Heights Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	1863 Clear Ave E	Saint Paul	55119	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8815	346	32	10.6	84.7%	32 (9.2%)	69 (19.9%)	76 (22.0%)	139 (40.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.7%)	13.6	764^th of 869 public elementary schools	12.1%		6.6	821^st of 872 public elementary schools	5.8%	57	19.4	15.9	38.8				25.8	8.0		8.0	25.0	27.3	20.0				23.8	96.6%	1.7%	$16,687
Weaver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2135 Birmingham St	Maplewood	55109	Ramsey County	North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 748-7000	442	27	16.1	71.5%	99 (22.4%)	44 (10.0%)	54 (12.2%)	195 (44.1%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	45 (10.2%)	26.2	672^nd of 869 public elementary schools	22.7%		34.1	604^th of 872 public elementary schools	30.7%	68	39.1	25.0	33.8				33.0	13.7		13.7	52.4	30.2	26.0				36.0	97.1%	0%	$12,024
Frost Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1505 Hoyt Ave E	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8930	593	45	13.1	84.1%	33 (5.6%)	101 (17.0%)	108 (18.2%)	302 (50.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (8.1%)	8.1	812^th of 869 public elementary schools	6.6%		7.8	811^th of 872 public elementary schools	7.0%	1	20.8	22.1	21.2				21.3	5.3		5.3	23.4	23.5	9.3				17.8	96.8%	1.1%	$17,828
Sejong Academy Lower School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	2410 Stillwater Rd E	Maplewood	55119	Ramsey County	Sejong Academy of Minnesota	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 301-8722	196	17	11.6	85.2%	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	2 (1.0%)	182 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	27.5	661^st of 869 public elementary schools	23.9%		24.5	686^th of 872 public elementary schools	21.3%	25	20.0	25.8	36.4				26.5	22.7		22.7	43.3	43.3	36.4				41.5	82.6%	0%	$14,569
Hazel Park Preparatory Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	1140 White Bear Ave N	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8970	489	33	14.9	92.2%	38 (7.8%)	158 (32.3%)	59 (12.1%)	199 (40.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.2%)	4.2	849^th of 869 public elementary schools	2.3%		3.9	848^th of 872 public elementary schools	2.8%	1	19.4	13.0	17.1	0.0	17.4	14.3	13.5	5.0	0.0	2.5	12.9	15.6	2.5	0.0	6.5	7.3	7.4	86.7%	6.7%	$5,237

Frequently Asked Questions about Cowern Elementary

Is Cowern Elementary a good school?

Cowern Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.3% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cowern Elementary?

Students at Cowern Elementary are 33% Asian, 21% African American, 20% White, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

How many students attend Cowern Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Cowern Elementary.

What district is Cowern Elementary in?

North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale

What schools do graduates of Cowern Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cowern Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : North Senior High

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 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.