The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Math. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Detroit Lakes, the Becker County seat on the edge of the lake country that draws summer tourists and seasonal residents. The school is one of the elementary campuses in the Detroit Lakes Public School District, a district that recently completed a major remodel and expansion at the high school and launched a full-time online high school option. About 580 students attend Roosevelt, making it a moderately sized elementary for this corner of Minnesota.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial American Indian or Alaska Native population that accounts for roughly one in five students. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students each make up smaller shares. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a sign that economic need touches a majority of the families. The school does not report the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so those profiles are not available for assessment.
On the Minnesota state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Roosevelt’s results paint a mixed picture that is strongest in early-grade math and more uneven elsewhere. In third grade, a clear majority of students met the proficiency standard in math, and fourth-grade math proficiency was even higher. Fifth-grade math, however, fell noticeably, with a much smaller share of students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, the pattern was reversed: about half of fifth graders were proficient, a stronger showing than in third and fourth grades. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a low proficiency rate. It is worth noting that the science assessment underwent a name change and cut-score change that year, and the Minnesota Department of Education has not yet established whether the results are comparable to prior years. A parent looking at these numbers would want to ask the school about the math drop between fourth and fifth grade and about the support available for students who are not yet proficient.
When compared with other districts in Becker County, Roosevelt’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades sits in the top quartile. That is a straightforward strength: among the four districts in the county, this school’s composite result is among the highest, even if individual grade-level scores vary.
The neighborhood around Roosevelt is a mix of residential streets and the commercial corridors of a small city that serves as the region’s retail and civic hub. Home values in Detroit Lakes are close to the state average, with modest appreciation in the past year. The city has a historic downtown on Washington Avenue, an Amtrak depot that now houses a shop and eatery, and a mile-long public beach on Detroit Lake that anchors summer life. Newer chain stores and strip malls line Highways 10 and 59, giving the community a blend of walkable core and auto-oriented development. The population has grown slowly since the 2020 census, and the economy relies heavily on tourism, health care, manufacturing, and the school district itself.
Roosevelt Elementary does not report data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios, so a parent would need to follow up with the school on those topics. The school also has no information available on whether it receives Title I funding or offers any magnet or special programs. What the data does show is a school with a clear strength in early elementary math relative to other schools in the county, a student body with significant economic and racial diversity, and a community setting that is stable but not fast-growing. For a family weighing options in Detroit Lakes, Roosevelt offers a solid academic foundation with some areas that deserve a closer look, particularly in upper elementary math and science.
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