The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Waterville Elementary
Waterville Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fourth grade in the city of Waterville, a small lakeside community set between Lake Tetonka and Lake Sakatah in Le Sueur County. As one of the elementary schools in the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown district, it is a regular public school and not a charter. Because its highest grade is fourth, there is no graduation rate to report, and science testing data from the most recent year was not available for its grade span.
On the state assessments administered in spring 2025, the school's results present a mixed academic picture. In math, third graders reached proficiency at a rate that was moderately ahead of the combined schoolwide average, while fourth graders were below that combined mark. In English language arts, third graders showed proficiency at a rate that trailed the schoolwide combined figure, but fourth graders surpassed it. Overall, when math and reading results are taken together across the tested grades, the school's combined proficiency index lands above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Le Sueur County. This suggests that while some grade-level results are softer than others, the school as a whole holds a position that is competitive within its county.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students who identify as two or more races and very small numbers of Hispanic and Black students. Just over two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with a notable level of economic need. The elementary school is located within the town, unlike the district's middle and high school, which sits on a campus between Waterville and Elysian. The town itself is auto-dependent and is oriented toward outdoor recreation, with paved trails, lake access, and an annual Bullhead Days celebration. New housing has been built on the north and east sides of town in recent years, reflecting modest residential growth.
The district completed extensive construction and remodeling at its facilities in the years around 2021, which means that the buildings students use daily have been recently upgraded. Because the school serves only the early elementary years, families with children in upper grades will eventually move on to the shared middle and high school campus outside town.
For a parent considering this school, the key takeaway is that it serves a small, rural community with an elementary-only program that feeds into a district with recently renovated facilities. Academic proficiency on state tests varies by grade and subject, with fourth grade reading being a relative bright spot and third grade reading a place where a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum supports early literacy. The school's overall standing relative to other districts in the county is solid but not at the top. The peer environment is homogeneous by race, and the economic makeup includes a significant share of families receiving meal assistance. The town offers a quiet, lake-centered lifestyle with limited commercial activity and no public transit, which will shape daily life for families.
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