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Discovery Community Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

813^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Discovery Community Elementary is a PK–5 school in Waite Park, Minnesota, serving 572 students as part of the St. Cloud Public School District, where about 79% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

In 2025–2026, Discovery ranked 813th of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — the 6th percentile, with 0 stars — placing it below its own district, which ranks 363rd of 458 districts (21st percentile, 1 star). Proficiency was 17.4% in math, 20.6% in reading and 7.0% in science, compared with district rates of 24.9%, 31% and 14.8%, and state rates of 44.9%, 48.6% and 25.5%. Science is the sharpest weakness, at less than half the district rate and roughly a quarter of the state rate. Grade-level results show upper elementary is hardest hit: 3rd-grade math 26.1%, 4th-grade math 18.2%, 5th-grade math 8.0% and 5th-grade science 7.0%, while 5th-grade reading is comparatively stronger at 28.2%.

Among nearby schools, Discovery sits near the bottom. Kennedy Community School (38th percentile) and Westwood Elementary (30th) score roughly 18–25 points higher in math and reading, and Madison Elementary and Oak Hill Community Elementary outperform Discovery by about 11–13 points. Lincoln Elementary (4th percentile) and Success Academy St. Cloud Elementary (4th) rank lower, while STRIDE Academy Elementary is similar at 7th. Notably, Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy has a much higher free/reduced-lunch rate — 97.37% — yet higher math, reading and science proficiency, suggesting poverty alone does not explain Discovery's results. The trend is concerning: the school reached the 15th percentile in 2020–2021 and the 13th in 2022–2023 before falling to the 6th in 2025–2026. Its student-teacher ratio of 13.1 is mid-pack locally, and English learners, students in special education and low-income students all rank in the low percentiles statewide.

572

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,592

Per pupil spending ?

78.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

700 7th St S
Waite Park, MN 56387-1512

(320) 370-6180

District: St. Cloud Public School District

Students who attend Discovery Community Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	South Junior High
High:	Technical Senior High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.0%

Hispanic:

25.3%

White:

23.4%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Discovery Community Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2016 → 6th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (17% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Reading scores 28 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg26%

Minnesota avg43%

813^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the St. Cloud Public School District

363^rd of 458St. Cloud 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	7.9	813 of 869	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.3	793 of 872	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	803 of 881	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	738 of 845	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	752 of 858	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	737 of 869	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	824 of 870	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	771 of 847	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.3	771 of 853	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.6	806 of 848	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.0	797 of 840	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.9	780 of 826	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.1	752 of 824	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.7	710 of 820	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.8	714 of 814	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.0	688 of 803	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	12.7	718 of 781	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.8	701 of 777	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	23.9	667 of 756	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.6	606 of 685	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	29.8	557 of 676	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	51.8	397 of 674	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	250 of 315	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	217 of 298	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	230 of 310	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.3	162 of 279	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.1	139 of 282	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.0	129 of 227	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.1	249 of 283	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	191 of 266	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	22.5	276 of 305	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.3	263 of 303	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.2	229 of 303	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.8	186 of 276	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	156 of 256	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	84 of 175	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.5	209 of 239	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.6	169 of 242	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	746 of 790	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.5	739 of 799	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	734 of 809	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	738 of 787	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	715 of 799	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	658 of 783	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	754 of 787	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	723 of 774	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	221 of 256	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	200 of 238	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	210 of 249	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	155 of 214	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.8	136 of 209	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.3	145 of 153	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	167 of 219	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	8 of 10	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	679 of 764	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.0	657 of 764	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	687 of 793	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	617 of 774	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.9	466 of 663	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.3	479 of 683	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.1	688 of 740	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	639 of 728	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	9.8	744 of 807	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	711 of 812	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	766 of 826	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	658 of 799	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	705 of 808	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	695 of 784	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.9	751 of 798	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	688 of 779	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	14.6	541 of 579	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.9	512 of 562	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	473 of 572	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	416 of 524	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	454 of 500	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	288 of 417	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	329 of 515	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.5	400 of 463	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	8.6	689 of 710	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	660 of 714	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	707 of 730	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	657 of 712	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.5	722 of 725	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	48.3	369 of 710	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.2	702 of 722	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	685 of 712	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)21st percentile+14 vs school

Homeless (2025)20th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)7th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

White (2026)3rd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading21%-28 vs state

Math17%-28 vs state

Science7%-18 vs state

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Schools Near Discovery Community 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/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	Total
Discovery Community Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	700 7th St S	Waite Park	56387	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-6180	572	43	13.1	78.8%	134 (23.4%)	240 (42.0%)	145 (25.3%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (7.2%)	7.9	813^th of 869 public elementary schools	6.4%		10.3	793^rd of 872 public elementary schools	9.1%	20	16.5	16.4	28.2				20.6	7.0		7.0	26.1	18.2	8.0				17.4	$14,592
STRIDE Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-4	3241 Oakham Ln	Saint Cloud	56301	Stearns County	STRIDE Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(320) 230-5340	569	56	10.2	83.7%	37 (6.5%)	493 (86.6%)	25 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	9 (1.6%)	8.3	811^th of 869 public elementary schools	6.7%		16.4	740^th of 872 public elementary schools	15.1%	71	16.7	14.3					15.5				35.2	16.5					25.8	$12,178
STRIDE Virtual Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3241 Oakham Ln	Saint Cloud	56301	Stearns County	STRIDE Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(320) 230-5340	0			—															(n/a)
Oak Hill Community Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 County Road 136	Saint Cloud	56301	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-6000	878	59	14.8	66.4%	266 (30.3%)	486 (55.4%)	46 (5.2%)	21 (2.4%)	4 (0.5%)	10 (1.1%)	45 (5.1%)	20.5	719^th of 869 public elementary schools	17.3%		28.6	660^th of 872 public elementary schools	24.3%	59	24.1	34.3	36.9				31.3	13.6		13.6	29.5	39.4	20.7				30.6	$13,981
Westwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5800 Ridgewood Rd	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-7630	531	36	14.7	59.7%	221 (41.6%)	106 (20.0%)	117 (22.0%)	21 (4.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (11.7%)	35.2	606^th of 869 public elementary schools	30.3%		39.6	575^th of 872 public elementary schools	34.1%	31	33.8	41.0	43.3				39.1	21.9		21.9	38.4	52.5	27.3				39.0	$15,046
Madison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2850 10th Street N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-6330	704	52	13.6	68.9%	216 (30.7%)	294 (41.8%)	81 (11.5%)	21 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (12.8%)	22.6	707^th of 869 public elementary schools	18.6%		25.5	683^rd of 872 public elementary schools	21.7%	24	32.8	33.6	34.5				33.6	17.6		17.6	38.5	27.6	21.8				29.8	$12,943
Success Academy St. Cloud Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	809 12th St N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	Success Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(612) 876-3050	140	8	17.5	—	0 (0.0%)	138 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	5.5	834^th of 869 public elementary schools	4.0%		11.4	780^th of 872 public elementary schools	10.6%	54	5.0	26.3	14.3				15.0	0.0		0.0	15.0	26.3	0.0				13.3
Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1025 18th St N	Saint Cloud	56303	Stearns County	Saint Cloud Math and Science Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(320) 774-2201	266	25	10.4	97.4%	4 (1.5%)	262 (98.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.9	683^rd of 869 public elementary schools	21.4%		21.2	706^th of 872 public elementary schools	19.0%	23	29.3	27.7	42.6				33.3	17.0		17.0	36.6	36.2	27.7				33.3	$14,533
Kennedy Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	1300 Jade Rd	Saint Joseph	56374	Stearns County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-7430	582	46	12.6	49.7%	344 (59.1%)	144 (24.7%)	56 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.2%)	42.8	539^th of 869 public elementary schools	38.0%		41.5	558^th of 872 public elementary schools	36.0%	19	42.9	48.3	43.3	50.0	31.3	58.1	45.4	19.4	14.8	17.1	52.1	50.8	11.3	35.1	28.4	45.9	37.5	$12,860
Lincoln Elementary	Public	4-5	336 5th Ave SE	Saint Cloud	56304	Sherburne County	St. Cloud Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 370-6660	328	29	11.5	81.1%	62 (18.9%)	180 (54.9%)	34 (10.4%)	8 (2.4%)	8 (2.4%)	3 (0.9%)	33 (10.1%)	5.6	833^rd of 869 public elementary schools	4.1%		4.4	842^nd of 872 public elementary schools	3.4%	9		17.1	19.0				18.0	3.6		3.6		19.1	4.4				12.1	$14,628

Frequently Asked Questions about Discovery Community Elementary

What district is Discovery Community Elementary in?

St. Cloud Public School District

What schools do graduates of Discovery Community Elementary attend?

Students who attend Discovery Community Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Junior High
High : Technical Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Community Elementary?

Students at Discovery Community Elementary are 42% African American, 25% Hispanic, 23% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Discovery Community Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 572 students attended Discovery Community Elementary.

Is Discovery Community Elementary a good school?

Discovery Community Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.4% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Rate Discovery Community Elementary!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

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

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.