The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Piedmont Elementary
Piedmont Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the western neighborhoods of Duluth, a mid-sized port city on Lake Superior that functions as the commercial, medical, and tourist hub of northeastern Minnesota. The school sits within the Duluth Public School District, and its enrollment is large enough to fill several classrooms at each grade level. The student body is predominantly white, with a visible share of students who identify as two or more races, smaller but still notable groups of Black and American Indian students, and a modest number of Hispanic and Asian students. A substantial share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mix of incomes in the attendance zone.
State testing results from the most recent year show that Piedmont’s students performed above the midpoint of schools across St. Louis County. In fact, the school’s combined proficiency rate across tested subjects and grades placed it among the top quarter of all elementary schools in the county. At the individual grade and subject level, performance was strongest in fourth-grade reading and fourth-grade math, where the share of students meeting state standards was at a solid level. Third- and fifth-grade reading results were somewhat lower, and fifth-grade math also came in at a moderate level. Science testing, which occurs only at fifth grade, showed a smaller share of students reaching proficiency. These are single-year results, so a parent who wants to understand year-to-year trends would need to ask the school or district about prior years, as the data available here covers only the most recent year.
The neighborhood around Piedmont Elementary is in the city’s western hillside area, a mostly residential zone with older homes and modest density. Housing values in the Duluth area have been rising at a pace that outpaces the national average, though they remain below the state median by a small margin. Rents have also been climbing, and the typical household would spend roughly a quarter of its income on rent, a figure that aligns with what many families across the country experience. The broader Duluth economy is anchored by healthcare systems, the port and shipping industry, tourism, and higher education institutions. The city’s population has been stable in recent years, growing only slightly, and new development tends toward revitalization of existing areas rather than large-scale subdivision expansion.
Piedmont’s academic profile is a clear strength relative to other elementary schools in the county. Parents who are weighing options within Duluth or among neighboring districts should note that the school’s proficiency results are consistently on the higher end for the region. The mix of students in the building reflects the diversity of the surrounding community, with a notable number of students from lower-income households, a factor that may influence the kind of support services and resources the school prioritizes. The district itself did not show any recent high-profile changes that would affect day-to-day operations, though parents considering Piedmont may want to ask about class sizes, enrichment offerings, and any building-level initiatives, as those details were not available in the data examined here.
Duluth’s character is shaped by its steep hillsides, its working waterfront, and its role as a gateway to the North Shore and the Boundary Waters. Families who live in the western part of the city and have children at Piedmont can expect a school that performs well on the state’s academic measures and serves a community with a genuine mix of backgrounds and incomes. The absence of high school grades means there is no graduation rate to evaluate, and the lack of data on chronic absenteeism or staffing ratios leaves some questions unanswered, but a parent could reasonably look into those with a call to the school office. For a family seeking a stable, neighborhood elementary school in a city that is economically diverse and regionally important, Piedmont offers a solid starting point.
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