The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Math. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Butterfield Elementary
Butterfield Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural agricultural town of Butterfield in southern Minnesota's Watonwan County. It is a regular public school within the Butterfield-Odin Public School District, a district that was renamed in 2022 to reflect the incorporation of the Odin attendance area. This is a lasting structural change that affects enrollment boundaries and the school community.
The school is small, which is typical of a district serving a compact, rural town with a modest population. The student body is notably diverse for the area’s size, with a large majority of students identifying as Hispanic, followed by a smaller share of white students and a handful of Asian students. A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, an important indicator of the economic context families are navigating. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or who are English learners was not available, so a parent may want to inquire about special education and language support services directly with the school.
On state assessments, performance shows a clear pattern of variability by grade and subject. In math, third and fourth graders posted stronger proficiency rates, while fifth and sixth graders had lower rates, pointing to a challenge that emerges in the upper elementary grades. In reading, the results are relatively consistent across grades three through five at a moderate level, with sixth graders showing a somewhat higher proficiency rate. Science results are available only for fifth grade and are lower than the school's reading and math numbers in that same grade; it is worth noting that Minnesota changed the science assessment and its cut scores in recent years, so direct comparisons to prior years are limited. The proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades, which blends these results into a single measure, places the school above the midpoint among the small cohort of districts in Watonwan County.
Because Butterfield Elementary serves only pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, as that metric applies to high schools. The school environment does not have publicly reported data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios, which means a parent evaluating school climate and student support will need to gather that information through a visit or direct conversation with the administration.
Housing in Butterfield is modestly priced relative to state and national benchmarks, with values that have been rising. The community itself is compact and defined by its agricultural surroundings, with Minnesota State Highway 60 as the main route. The town lacks the kind of walkable commercial street life found in larger suburbs, and there is no dedicated public transit system. Major employers are not concentrated within the town itself; many residents likely commute to nearby communities such as St. James or Mankato for work.
For a family considering this school, the central takeaway is a small, rural elementary setting with meaningful demographic diversity and a student body where income-based support is widespread. Academic performance is mixed, stronger in the early elementary years and softer in upper elementary, particularly in math and science. The absence of public data on special education rates, English learner services, and school discipline are gaps a prospective parent would want to fill. The district's recent renaming signals a consolidation of attendance areas, a development that may continue to shape the school's enrollment and community identity in the years ahead.
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