The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Oak Grove Elementary
Oak Grove Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade in the Bloomington district, a large suburb of Minneapolis. The school is located in a city that grew rapidly after World War II and now has a mix of residential neighborhoods, strip commercial corridors, and major job centers anchored by the Mall of America. Bloomington is car-oriented, with several freeways running through it, though the Metro Blue Line light rail connects the area to downtown Minneapolis. A substantial portion of the city is set aside for parkland, including large natural areas like the Minnesota Valley wetlands and Hyland Lake Park Reserve. The city does not have a traditional downtown; civic facilities are dispersed, and the school’s own building sits in a typical suburban setting.
The student body draws from the surrounding neighborhoods and reflects a racially and economically diverse population. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial groups in smaller but meaningful proportions. Slightly more than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a significant number of families face economic pressures. The school does not report counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a parent would need to ask the school directly about the scale of those programs and whether they meet their child’s needs.
On the 2024-25 state assessments, Oak Grove’s results show a mixed pattern. In math, proficiency across the tested grades sits above the midpoint among schools in Hennepin County. Reading scores are weaker, with proficiency rates that fall notably below the math results in several grades. A parent considering the school should look carefully at how the school supports reading development, especially in the early and intermediate grades, since the data suggests that literacy outcomes are an area to explore further. Science results for fifth grade also show room for improvement. The district’s overall proficiency index places Oak Grove in the top quarter of schools county-wide, which suggests that the school’s academic standing is relatively strong compared with many other elementary schools in the area, though the reading gap is a clear feature of the profile.
The building does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to review. The school is a regular public elementary school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not have a Title I designation listed in the available data, so it is unclear whether it receives federal funds for low-income students.
Bloomington as a whole has the feel of a mature suburb with a stable housing stock. Home values in the school’s ZIP code are in line with the higher end of Minnesota’s state average, and rents have risen moderately. The area is more expensive than the national median on both fronts. The housing market here is not entry-level for most families; buying a home would require substantial income, though renting may be more within reach for households earning around the national median.
The Bloomington district offers a few programs that may shape a family’s decision about where to enroll. A fully online K-12 school called New Code Academy is open to any Minnesota family and taught by district teachers, giving residents an alternative to in-person learning if that matches their needs. The Bloomington Career and College Academy lets high school students earn college credit, though this would only matter for a family with older children in the district. At the elementary level, the district operates a Computer Science Immersion program in partnership with the University of Minnesota, which integrates computer science into other subject areas. A parent interested in a STEM-focused elementary experience may want to ask whether Oak Grove participates in that program, since the district brief describes it but does not specify which schools it covers.
For a family weighing Oak Grove, the main considerations are the school’s status as a moderately strong performer in a large county, with a clear soft spot in reading that warrants direct inquiry, and its location in a diverse, car-dependent suburb with relatively high housing costs. The school does not have the richest data set; missing figures on special education and English learner populations, along with the lack of discipline or attendance metrics, mean a parent will need to gather additional information from the school office or a tour to get a full picture of daily life and support structures.
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