The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in Math. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Team Academy
TEAM Academy is a public charter school in Waseca, Minnesota, serving kindergarten through sixth grade. It is a small school, with an enrollment that is modest for its grade band. Operated independently under a charter, it draws families who choose it rather than attend their assigned district school. The school is part of a single-school district also named TEAM Academy.
Academically, the picture is layered and merits a family’s close look. On Minnesota’s state assessments, performance varies noticeably by grade and subject. In the most recent testing year, math proficiency rates ranged from a level in the lower half in third grade down to a point where no students met the standard in sixth grade. Reading proficiency followed a similar pattern: third through fifth grade results clustered in a modest range, while sixth grade again saw zero students reaching proficiency. Science results for fifth grade were also low. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter relative to other districts in Waseca County. That is a soft spot a parent would want to explore directly with the school, especially to understand how instruction and support differ across grade levels.
At the same time, TEAM Academy was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2024. That federal recognition typically signals sustained academic excellence, which appears to sit in some tension with the available test data. Because the state results are from a single year, and the Blue Ribbon designation may reflect prior performance or other criteria, a family considering the school would do well to ask the school itself about the basis for the award and how it aligns with current achievement patterns.
The student body reflects the community it serves. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty context. Racially and ethnically, the school is roughly evenly split between white students and Hispanic students, with a small number of Black and multiracial students. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Information on special education and English learner populations was not available in the data provided.
Waseca is a county seat in southern Minnesota, a small town with a traditional downtown, lakes, and parks. Its economy is anchored by a Mayo Clinic health system hospital, a ConAgra vegetable packing plant, and a federal correctional institution. The housing market is notably more affordable than the state average, which may matter to families looking at the area. The town’s population has seen a slight decline in recent years, and its character is that of a stable, slow-growth rural community. The school’s location on 17th Avenue NE places it within the town’s residential fabric.
For a family weighing TEAM Academy, the central question is how to reconcile a national academic award with low state test scores across several grades. The school’s small size and charter status mean it offers a different environment than the larger district-run elementary schools in the area. A parent considering this school should seek a direct conversation about curriculum, interventions, and how the school defines and measures success. The community context is that of a modest, affordable small town with basic amenities and a working-class industrial base.
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