Carlos Elementary, Carlos MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Carlos Elementary

Carlos Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Alexandria Public School District. The school is located in the small rural community of Carlos, a village of under a square mile in Douglas County that has seen a modest population decline in recent years. The school building itself sits within the town, integrated into the residential fabric rather than on a separated campus, and it has been expanded over time to meet enrollment needs. Most families in the area own their homes, and property values in the zip code are on the higher side for a rural Minnesota area, likely reflecting proximity to lakes and the broader Alexandria region.

The student body is small and predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a modest share and very small numbers of Native American and multiracial students represented. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learner enrollment and special education identification were not available, which is a gap that often reflects the school’s size and grade band rather than an indicator of weakness.

Academically, Carlos Elementary posted strong results on the state’s math assessments, with the large majority of students in grades three, four, and five scoring proficient. Reading proficiency rates were solid but lower, with about two-thirds of tested students meeting the benchmark across the three grades, and the fifth-grade reading results coming in below the others. Fifth-grade science results were notably lower, a finding that a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand the local approach to science instruction and how it aligns with state expectations. Because only a single year of assessment data was available, there is no trend to compare these results against. Carlos Elementary’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades was strong relative to the handful of other regular schools in Douglas County, landing in the top quartile of that comparison set. No graduation rate applies to an elementary school.

The school’s district, Alexandria Public Schools, publicly reported a Capital Project Levy proposal in 2025, which is a referendum measure that would fund facility investments tied to enrollment projections, including work at another elementary school in the district. Voter approval of such a levy would have a direct impact on property taxes and could shape the condition of school buildings across the district, including Carlos Elementary. No other major district-level changes surfaced in available records.

This is a small, community-centered elementary school in a quiet rural setting with a declining local population. The academic picture shows strength in math and a more mixed performance in reading and science. For a family already living in or moving to the Carlos area, the school offers a neighborhood-scaled environment. The district-level facility levy is something to watch, as it may affect both taxes and the school’s physical resources in the coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 393%

School 93% · District 63% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 489%

School 89% · District 75% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 56% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 53% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 55% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 54% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 28% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolALEXANDRIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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 6Lower-income80%Higher-income67%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income80%Higher-income75%5 pp gap