Summary:
The 56081 zip code in Minnesota is home to three elementary schools: St. James Northside Elementary, Armstrong School, and St. James Early Childhood. These schools serve students in the St. James Public School District.
Among the three schools, St. James Northside Elementary stands out as the largest, with 492 students enrolled. It has the highest performance metrics across Math, Reading, and Science on the MCA-III assessments compared to the district and state averages. However, the school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past few years, dropping from 429 out of 845 Minnesota elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 630 out of 872 in 2024-2025, despite maintaining a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
The data also reveals that St. James Northside Elementary has a relatively high free/reduced lunch rate of 64.84%, indicating a significant population of economically disadvantaged students. This socioeconomic challenge may be a factor in the school's academic performance, which lags behind the state averages in both Math and Reading proficiency. The smaller elementary schools, Armstrong School and St. James Early Childhood, have much lower enrollment and higher student-teacher ratios, suggesting a different educational approach or focus.
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