The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Math. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maccray Elementary
MACCRAY Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Clara City, Minnesota, part of the MACCRAY School District. The school occupies the new district-wide Pre-K through twelfth grade campus that opened for the 2023-2024 school year, the result of a bond referendum that consolidated all of the district’s students into one facility for the first time. The elementary school is the youngest wing of that building, which also houses the upper grades and shares modern classrooms, a gymnasium, and updated technology infrastructure.
Clara City is a small rural community self-described as the “Crossroads of the Prairie,” located where Minnesota State Highways 7 and 23 intersect. The town has a stable to slightly declining population and a car-oriented layout with no public transit. Housing values are notably below the state median, and the cost of living is below the national average. The built environment consists of low-density single-family homes, small commercial parcels along Main Street, a senior living campus, and several churches. The school district is among the largest local employers, alongside the Clara City Care Center. The new school campus sits on Wolverine Drive, separated from the downtown core, and serves as a community gathering point.
MACCRAY Elementary enrolls around three hundred fifty students. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and a small but notable share of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant level of economic need. Counts of students with disabilities and English learners were not reported in the available data, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State assessment results from the 2024-2025 school year place MACCRAY Elementary’s overall proficiency index above the midpoint among the small set of districts within Chippewa County that reported comparable data. Performance varies by grade and subject. In mathematics, proficiency rates ranged from a lower level in third grade to a higher level in fourth grade, with fifth grade in between. In English language arts, third grade showed a lower rate, while fifth grade reached a higher rate. Fifth-grade science proficiency was about a third of students meeting the standard. Only one year of assessment data is available for this school, so no trend can be described; the state also changed the science test name and cut scores, which limits direct comparison with prior years.
Because MACCRAY Elementary serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data, discipline data, and course access information are not available for this school from the sources provided. The school’s Title I status is not listed, and counts of students receiving special education or English learner services were missing. A parent or resident interested in those areas would need to follow up with the district office.
Despite these gaps in the public record, the school’s academic profile is broadly in line with its rural Chippewa County peers, with some grades and subjects performing more strongly than others. The new consolidated facility represents a substantial investment in the district’s infrastructure and a point of pride for the community. The combination of a modern school building, a small-town setting with affordable housing, and a student body that reflects the area’s demographic mix makes MACCRAY Elementary a typical rural Minnesota elementary school with the recent benefit of a purpose-built campus.
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