Hoover Elementary Biomed Sci Egng, Coon Rapids MN

Original Research by School Decision on Hoover Elementary Biomed Sci Egng

Hoover Elementary Biomedical Science and Engineering is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Coon Rapids, part of the Anoka-Hennepin School District, the largest district in Minnesota. The school’s name signals an early emphasis on health sciences and engineering, a themed focus that distinguishes it from a general elementary curriculum. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade band.

Coon Rapids is a primarily residential northern suburb of Minneapolis with a high rate of home ownership, commercial corridors like Coon Rapids Boulevard, and the Riverdale shopping area. The built environment is suburban and car-dependent, but the city maintains an extensive system of parks and recreational trails, including a walkway over the Mississippi River at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. Major employers include Mercy Health, the school district itself, and Honeywell Aerospace, and the city is connected to downtown Minneapolis by the Northstar Commuter Rail line at the Riverdale Station. Home values and rents in the area are generally in line with national trends, with the housing market showing moderate appreciation and rents rising somewhat faster. A sizable share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates that the school serves a population with significant economic diversity.

On state assessments, Hoover’s math proficiency rates were generally solid across tested grades, and in reading the school showed a notable range, with third-grade proficiency well below fourth- and fifth-grade levels. In science, tested in fifth grade, proficiency was lower than in math and reading. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed Hoover in the top quartile relative to other elementary schools in Anoka County, a positive comparative standing. However, because only a single year of testing data is available for this analysis, it is not possible to assess trend direction. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether the current results reflect a stable pattern or an emerging change.

The school’s student body is substantially white, with the remainder composed of students who are Asian, Black, two or more races, and Hispanic, in that order. A small share of students are American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported in the available records, so a parent should ask the school directly for this information if it is a priority.

Hoover is not a charter or magnet school, so the biomedical and engineering theme appears to be a school-wide program within the regular district framework, rather than a separate admissions track. The Anoka-Hennepin district covers a wide geographic area and a large number of schools, and publicly reported information on recent district-level changes such as budget shifts or curriculum updates was not found, so a parent may want to check directly with the district on any upcoming developments. Hoover itself sits within the Coon Rapids community and draws from that residential base, so a family considering this school is also considering this particular suburban environment with its park system, commuter rail access, and mix of older and newer housing stock. For a family looking for a solid academic start in a school with a science and health theme and a suburban setting, Hoover presents a clear option. For those weighing a school against others in the area, Hoover’s test results place it among the stronger elementary schools in Anoka County, though the full picture would benefit from more context on special education services and English learner support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 63% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 59% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 46% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 63% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 33% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

This schoolAnoka-Hennepin 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 3Lower-income37%Higher-income55%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income46%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income75%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income76%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income72%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income81%41 pp gap