Sky Oaks Elementary, Burnsville MN

Original Research by School Decision on Sky Oaks Elementary

Sky Oaks Elementary is a regular public school in Burnsville serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district. Burnsville itself is a largely built-out suburban bedroom community for Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and a walkable downtown core called Heart of the City. The city grew rapidly after Interstate 35 construction and is now focused on redevelopment projects rather than new greenfield development. That mature suburban context shapes the school’s enrollment base.

On state assessments, Sky Oaks’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Dakota County. The pattern is fairly consistent year to year: math proficiency in grade three hovers around where about three in ten students meet the bar, while in grades four and five that share sits closer to one in five. In English language arts, grade three shows roughly a quarter of students proficient, grade four also near that same lower level, and grade five reaches about a third of students meeting the standard. Grade five science proficiency is notably thin. These are the most recent results and represent a single year’s snapshot, so a parent may want to ask the school about academic interventions and trends over time.

The student body reflects the broader diversity of Burnsville. The largest group of students are Hispanic, followed by Black, then White, with smaller shares of students who are Asian or identify with two or more races. A substantial majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by free and reduced-price meal eligibility. The school enrolls roughly one class per grade, with grade sizes fairly balanced. No data was available on the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a parent may want to ask directly about those programs and staffing ratios.

The housing market in the Burnsville zip code is near the middle of the state’s range for home values, with rents showing a similar pattern. Compared with national affordability benchmarks, buying a home here requires a slightly higher multiple of income than typical, though the estimated monthly mortgage and rent are within a common range for a suburban community. The area’s unemployment rate and median household income track close to national averages. For families commuting to the Twin Cities, Burnsville offers a moderate drive, with most residents commuting alone by car.

The district has made several changes that directly affect elementary families. It reduced the number of elementary schools from ten to eight, including the closure of one school due to funding constraints, which altered attendance boundaries. It also established a permanent K-12 virtual academy, the ONE91 Virtual Academy, providing an online learning alternative for families who prefer that setting. These decisions mean that Sky Oaks’s enrollment draw and program offerings may shift over time, and families considering the school may want to confirm current attendance boundaries and whether the virtual option is a fit.

Overall, Sky Oaks serves a diverse, predominantly low-income community in a mature suburb. Its academic results are below the county median, a pattern that warrants a close look at instructional supports and progress. The school itself is a standard elementary program with no specialized magnet or charter status, and the broader district provides some alternative pathways for families who want them.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 37% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 38% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 39% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 33% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 52% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 20% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

This schoolBurnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools, 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-income20%Higher-income53%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income30%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income46%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income59%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income30%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income27%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income41%28 pp gap