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Birch Lake Elementary

Q: Is Birch Lake Elementary a good school?

Birch Lake Elementary ranks 620 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

620^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Birch Lake Elementary is a public elementary school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, serving 246 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. While the school is part of the White Bear Lake School District, which is ranked 228 out of 446 districts in the state, Birch Lake Elementary faces some academic challenges compared to nearby schools.

Birch Lake Elementary's performance on the MCA-III (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) tests is generally below the district and state averages in both math and reading across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in MCA-III Math was 43.4% at Birch Lake Elementary, compared to 48.75% for the district and 45.21% for the state. Similarly, the percentage of students proficient or better in MCA-III Reading was 33.96% at Birch Lake Elementary, compared to 52.7% for the district and 49.59% for the state. The school's performance also varies significantly among different student subgroups, with some groups, such as Hispanic and white students, performing lower than the state average.

Birch Lake Elementary's academic performance is generally lower than that of nearby schools within the White Bear Lake School District, such as Willow Lane Elementary, Vadnais Heights Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary, which have higher percentages of students proficient or better on the MCA-III tests in both math and reading. Additionally, Birch Lake Elementary's performance has declined over the past several years, with the school's statewide ranking dropping from 340 out of 853 Minnesota elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 620 out of 872 in 2024-2025.

239

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,796

Per pupil spending ?

46%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1616 Birch Lake Ave
White Bear Lake, MN 55110-3309

(651) 653-2776

District: White Bear Lake School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.6%

Hispanic:

16.7%

African American:

11.3%

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Compare Birch Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2015 → 29th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (39% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg51%

Minnesota avg47%

620^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8Elementary Schools in the White Bear Lake School District

228^th of 446White Bear Lake 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	32.6	620 of 872	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.0	602 of 881	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	560 of 845	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	558 of 858	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	661 of 869	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.6	583 of 870	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.3	433 of 847	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	64.3	340 of 853	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.7	395 of 848	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.4	476 of 840	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.4	329 of 826	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	76.9	149 of 824	81.9%	★★★★☆
2012	70.5	219 of 820	73.3%	★★★★☆
2011	68.2	261 of 814	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.2	412 of 803	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.2	502 of 781	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	50.9	473 of 777	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.1	429 of 756	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	30.8	564 of 685	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	38.8	502 of 676	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	39.3	499 of 674	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	512 of 799	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	481 of 809	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	557 of 787	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.9	540 of 799	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.1	607 of 783	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.1	554 of 787	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.8	374 of 774	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	23.2	205 of 249	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.5	110 of 209	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	536 of 764	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	516 of 793	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	351 of 774	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	318 of 663	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.5	496 of 683	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.9	311 of 740	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.7	93 of 728	87.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	654 of 812	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	608 of 826	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.5	497 of 799	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	535 of 808	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.2	608 of 784	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.8	510 of 798	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	446 of 779	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	53.0	217 of 500	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.9	217 of 515	57.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	659 of 714	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	623 of 730	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	607 of 712	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	610 of 725	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	684 of 710	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.1	585 of 722	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.5	421 of 712	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2022)57th percentile+22 vs school

Female (2025)36th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile~ school

Male (2025)19th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2024)18th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math43%~ state avg

Reading34%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Birch Lake 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 All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Birch Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1616 Birch Lake Ave	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 653-2776	239	22	10.7	46.0%	128 (53.6%)	27 (11.3%)	40 (16.7%)	21 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (9.2%)	32.6	620^th of 872 public elementary schools	28.9%		37	602^nd of 881 public elementary schools	31.7%	18	55.6	45.0	26.7	43.4	36.1	31.7	34.5	34.0	$15,796
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-5	1961 6th St	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 653-2820	469	25	19.1	18.6%	386 (82.3%)	12 (2.6%)	21 (4.5%)	26 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.1%)	88.1	61^st of 872 public elementary schools	93.0%		87.7	66^th of 881 public elementary schools	92.5%	5	75.0	77.5	63.2	71.6	60.0	72.5	82.1	71.3	$12,320
Otter Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 County Road H2	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 653-2831	492	37	13.2	20.5%	371 (75.4%)	14 (2.8%)	31 (6.3%)	37 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.9%)	81.4	131^st of 872 public elementary schools	85.0%		65.6	308^th of 881 public elementary schools	65.0%	177	74.1	74.7	59.2	69.9	62.4	60.2	62.0	61.5	$13,984
Lakeaires Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3963 Van Dyke	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 653-2809	396	27	14.6	46.0%	234 (59.1%)	15 (3.8%)	67 (16.9%)	43 (10.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (8.8%)	41.6	556^th of 872 public elementary schools	36.2%		50.4	488^th of 881 public elementary schools	44.6%	68	38.6	46.3	27.3	36.7	47.4	40.7	56.1	48.6	$13,632
Normandy Park Education Center	Public	PK-K	2482 E County Rd F	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 653-3100	154	23	6.7	34.4%	95 (61.7%)	11 (7.1%)	18 (11.7%)	14 (9.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (9.7%)								(n/a)									$44,161
White Bear Lake Elementary Distance	Public	K-5	2399 Cedar Avenue	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 407-7579	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Willow Lane Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3375 Willow Ave	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 773-6170	279	28	10.1	72.0%	82 (29.4%)	79 (28.3%)	45 (16.1%)	33 (11.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (14.0%)	33.9	607^th of 872 public elementary schools	30.4%		26.6	677^th of 881 public elementary schools	23.2%	70	37.0	45.2	20.0	34.4	32.6	37.2	60.0	43.3	$14,768
Vadnais Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3645 Centerville Rd	White Bear Lake	55127	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 653-2858	405	26	15.5	42.7%	207 (51.1%)	43 (10.6%)	34 (8.4%)	76 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (10.9%)	66.5	303^rd of 872 public elementary schools	65.3%		62.5	347^th of 881 public elementary schools	60.6%	44	56.9	65.5	59.2	60.2	43.9	50.9	63.5	53.3	$13,451
Matoska International	Public	K-5	2530 Spruce Place	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 653-2847	543	34	15.9	28.5%	378 (69.6%)	43 (7.9%)	45 (8.3%)	39 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.0%)	71.4	252^nd of 872 public elementary schools	71.1%		62.6	345^th of 881 public elementary schools	60.8%	93	55.8	68.0	53.5	59.4	47.4	57.3	75.6	59.6	$11,802
Level Up Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	2600 County Road E East	White Bear Lake	55110	Ramsey County	Level Up Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 408-5559	145	11	13.6	40.7%	108 (74.5%)	9 (6.2%)	4 (2.8%)	11 (7.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.3%)	17.9	728^th of 872 public elementary schools	16.5%		18	737^th of 881 public elementary schools	16.3%	9	25.0	28.6	19.4	23.8	35.7	28.6	33.3	32.9	$17,669

Frequently Asked Questions about Birch Lake Elementary

What schools do graduates of Birch Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Birch Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Middle

Is Birch Lake Elementary a good school?

Birch Lake Elementary ranks 620^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Birch Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 239 students attended Birch Lake Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Birch Lake Elementary?

Students at Birch Lake Elementary are 54% White, 17% Hispanic, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 9% Asian.

What district is Birch Lake Elementary in?

White Bear Lake School District

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Schools in White Bear Lake, MN

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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.