Beacon Academy, Crystal MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Beacon Academy

Beacon Academy is a K-8 charter school in Crystal, a first-tier suburb roughly five miles west of downtown Minneapolis. About five hundred students attend, making the school a mid-sized elementary and middle school. The student body is diverse: roughly equal shares of Black and white students, with sizeable Hispanic and multiracial populations as well. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate well above the national average.

Academically, the school presents a mixed picture that varies by grade level and subject. Across all tested grades, reading proficiency is notably higher than math. Several elementary grades reach proficiency rates around the state average for reading. In fifth grade, for example, more than half of students scored proficient in reading. Math performance is weaker, with proficiency rates that decline as students progress through the grades. By sixth through eighth grade, fewer than one in five students meets state math standards. Science results, available for fifth and eighth grades, are also low, with about one in six students proficient. Overall, Beacon Academy’s combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among the eighty school districts in Hennepin County.

Because the school serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism and special education or English learner populations were not available; a parent may want to ask the school about those areas directly. The assessment data comes from a single year, and the state changed the test name and cut scores for science, so trend comparisons are not possible.

Crystal is described by the city as a fully developed suburban community. Large-scale new housing is not occurring; the focus is on redevelopment and infrastructure updates. The main commercial node is the redeveloped Crystal Shopping Center. Housing values and rents in the Crystal ZIP code sit at about the national average for home values and somewhat above the national average for rents, though precise figures are not meaningful out of context. The city’s street network is auto-oriented, with major routes running through residential neighborhoods. Parks and recreational amenities are plentiful, including the Crystal Community Center with an aquatic center and skate park, plus twenty-six parks and trails.

Beacon Academy operates as its own single-school district. A search for recent district-level changes or strategic priorities turned up little publicly, so nothing is reported rather than guessed. The school website was not included in the data, so program offerings such as arts, athletics, or extracurriculars are not described here.

For families weighing their options, Beacon Academy offers a K-8 charter school setting in a largely built-out suburb. Reading outcomes are the academic strength, while math and science results are areas where the school is likely focused on improvement. The student body is economically diverse, which some families value. The school’s size is typical for a K-8 charter, and its location in Crystal provides access to suburban amenities and a short commute to Minneapolis.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

even with state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolBEACON ACADEMY, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income37%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income55%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income60%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income60%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income52%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income47%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income16%Higher-income61%45 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income9%Higher-income43%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income8%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income25%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income5%Higher-income15%10 pp gap