Chanhassen Elementary, Chanhassen MN

Original Research by School Decision on Chanhassen Elementary

Chanhassen Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Eastern Carver County Public Schools district, located in the outer southwestern Minneapolis–Saint Paul suburb of Chanhassen. The building sits on a separated campus, as is typical for this car-oriented community where an extensive trail system and suburban residential streets, rather than a walkable grid, define daily life.

The school has a clear academic profile. On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, a substantial majority of students scored at the proficient level in both math and reading, with math proficiency across all tested grades landing above the midpoint for the county’s elementary schools. Performance varied by grade: in fifth grade, an especially high share of students met or exceeded state standards in both math and reading, while third and fourth grade reading scores were somewhat softer, with a bit less than two-thirds of students reaching proficiency. Fifth grade science results were more middling: just over half of students were proficient, a figure that may give a parent pause. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider.

The student body is predominantly white, with Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students each making up a modest share. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available; a parent may want to ask the school for current counts to understand the full range of support services offered.

Chanhassen Elementary is part of a district that, based on available public records, has not recently undergone major referendum campaigns, curriculum overhauls, or property tax changes that would have appeared in search results. That absence does not mean nothing is happening; it means the most visible, community-shaping changes that make news did not surface during this research.

The housing market in Chanhassen reflects its position as an affluent, growing suburb. Home values are well above the state and national medians, and rents are comparably high. A typical mortgage payment on a median-priced home would likely exceed the area’s average rent by a meaningful margin, meaning renting can make financial sense for families not ready to buy. The combination of high housing costs and a low share of students on subsidized lunch suggests the school serves a largely economically comfortable population.

For a parent weighing this school, the academic picture is one of solid performance with a clear strength in math, particularly by fifth grade, and a soft spot in early-elementary reading and fifth-grade science that merits a direct conversation with the principal about curriculum and intervention strategies. The school’s size is moderate for an elementary, and its suburban setting means most families drive to drop off and pick up. Chanhassen itself is a community with strong corporate employment, ample recreational trails and lakes, and civic amenities like Paisley Park and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, but little pedestrian street life; this is a place where families move for the schools, parks, and jobs, not for a downtown coffee walk. The district covers most of the city, though a northern sliver falls into Minnetonka schools, so knowing the exact boundary for a given address is important.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 68% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 65% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 61% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 56% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 71% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 38% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

This schoolEASTERN CARVER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL, 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-income33%Higher-income72%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income70%49 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income82%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income35%Higher-income83%48 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income76%55 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income85%21 pp gap