Myers-wilkins Elementary, Duluth MN

Original Research by School Decision on Myers-wilkins Elementary

Myers-Wilkins Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Duluth Public School District. It is a regular public school located in a city that functions as the regional center for northeastern Minnesota, a port and tourist destination on Lake Superior. The school draws from a neighborhood in Duluth, a city with stable, modest population growth and a mix of older residential areas, a working port, and a walkable waterfront tourist district.

The school’s enrollment is predominantly made up of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share of the student body. The student population is diverse in its racial and ethnic makeup, with white students comprising the largest single group, followed by a significant number of students who identify with two or more races, a notable Black student population, and smaller shares of American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Asian students. The school’s status regarding students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, Myers-Wilkins’s state assessment results show a pattern that a parent should carefully examine. In mathematics, the share of students meeting state standards declined sharply as grade levels increased. In the tested grades, reading and language arts proficiency rates were also low. Science results, available for fifth grade only, followed a similar pattern. Data on the school’s overall academic trajectory is limited to a single year of reported proficiency, so there is no multi-year trend to assess improvement or decline. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, when compared to other schools in St. Louis County, falls in the bottom quartile. A parent considering this school will want to discuss with the principal or teaching staff how the school is working to address these academic results and what specific interventions are in place.

Because Myers-Wilkins serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in this profile.

The school’s setting in Duluth means families have access to the city’s parks, Lakewalk, and cultural attractions, and the school is part of a district that serves the city’s neighborhoods. The housing market in the area has seen appreciation, and rental costs have risen, reflecting broader national trends. No recent district-level changes that affect parents were found in publicly reported sources.

Myers-Wilkins is an elementary school serving a high-poverty student population in a stable, mid-sized city. Its state test results are well below county averages, which is the central fact a family would need to investigate further with the school itself. The school’s size and grade span mean it provides a neighborhood elementary experience, but the academic performance data raises clear questions about student progress that any prospective parent will want to explore in depth.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 59% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 57% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 45% · ▼ 40 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 51% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 53% · ▼ 32 pts below district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 66% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 34% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolDULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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-income27%Higher-income91%64 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income91%66 pp gap