The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marine Village School
Marine Village School is a public charter elementary school that opened in 2022 in the small, historic riverside village of Marine on St. Croix. It serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is the only public school located within the village, operated as its own single-school district. The school was founded with a stated commitment to small class sizes, with no more than one class per grade and a maximum of about that many students per class. The school’s curriculum is built on four cornerstones: Academics, Ecology, Community, and Service, and it uses the Core Knowledge sequence aligned to Minnesota state standards. Because it is a charter school, it is tuition-free and open to students from Marine on St. Croix and the surrounding area.
The school is very small, with an enrollment that matches the elementary grade band. Its student body is predominantly White, which reflects the demographics of the village itself. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, and information on special education or English learner populations was also missing, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its support services for those groups.
State testing results from the most recent school year provide a mixed picture. In reading, the school’s third, fourth, and fifth graders all achieved proficiency at rates above the half mark, with fourth and fifth graders each reaching the same level. In math, performance was more uneven. Third graders hit a much higher proficiency rate, but fourth and fifth graders both landed at a significantly lower level. In science, the only tested grade was fifth, and proficiency was reported at a rate that falls below the core group of subjects. Because the school had only one year of state testing data available, there is no trend line to show improvement or decline. A parent considering the school would want to discuss how the school is addressing the gap between reading and math results, particularly in the upper elementary grades.
The school has no graduation rate, because it does not serve high school grades. Similarly, there is no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline, as those metrics are not collected at this scale for an elementary charter with a single year of operations. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested subjects and grades, falls below the midpoint when compared with a group of other districts in Washington County. This puts it in a lower position relative to its county peers, though the comparison set includes districts with a wider range of grade spans and resources.
Marine on St. Croix itself is a village of a small population with a mainly residential character and a compact historic business district. Its population has declined slightly in recent decades, and no major new housing or commercial growth was identified in available reports. The town has a strong historic identity, anchored by the Village Hall, the volunteer-run public library, the Marine Mill Site, and the Stone House Museum. The St. Croix River runs alongside the community, and State Highway 95 is the main road through town. Housing values in the zip code are well above the state and national benchmarks, reflecting the area’s desirability as a scenic river community near the Twin Cities metro. For families, this means the local housing market is expensive, and the village offers a quiet, preservation-minded setting with limited commercial services. Residents likely commute to nearby towns such as Stillwater or to the broader metro area for work and for middle and high school options, since Marine Village School ends at fifth grade.
For a family drawn to a very small, intentionally scaled elementary school with a focus on ecology and service-oriented learning, Marine Village School offers a distinct alternative to a larger district school. The school’s academic results are still early, with only one year of testing to judge from, and the math and science outcomes are areas the school is likely working on. The village provides a stable, low-growth community with high housing costs and a strong sense of local history. Families who want a clear academic track record, robust extracurricular options, or a school that goes beyond fifth grade will need to plan for the transition after elementary.
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