The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on South Point Elementary
South Point Elementary serves grades three through five in the East Grand Forks Public Schools, a district that also operates a second elementary, a middle school, and a high school. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. With an enrollment of several hundred students, it is sized for an intermediate elementary within a small-city district.
On state assessments, South Point’s results show variation by grade and subject. In math, roughly half of third and fourth graders met proficiency, while the share was smaller among fifth graders. In English language arts, the pattern flipped: a modest share of third and fourth graders reached the bar, while nearly half of fifth graders did. Science, tested only in fifth grade, drew the lowest proficiency rate in the school. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency places it below the midpoint among districts in Polk County. That mixed performance means a parent will want to look closely at how individual grades and subjects align with their child’s needs, and the science result in particular may warrant a conversation with the school.
The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up a meaningful share and smaller groups of Black, two-or-more-races, and American Indian students. About two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a moderate rate that reflects the economic mix of the community. Data on special education and English learner enrollment were not available in the profile, so a parent should ask the school directly about those supports.
East Grand Forks sits along the Red River opposite Grand Forks, North Dakota, and the two cities form a metro area. The Minnesota side is a small city with a downtown commercial district, a riverfront recreation area, and a mix of older neighborhoods north of the river and newer residential development on a peninsula known as The Point. Housing values in the area are below the state average, and the city has seen a slight population decline in recent years. Major employers include an agricultural processing company and a technical college, reflecting the fertile farming economy of the Red River Valley. The district’s publicly reported information did not indicate any major recent program or leadership changes, so the school’s operations appear stable.
Because South Point only covers three grades, it does not report a graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data that apply to high schools. The absence of those figures is expected for its grade band.
South Point Elementary fits a family looking for a neighborhood school that serves the upper elementary years in a small, stable city with a lower cost of housing than the state average. The academic picture is uneven, with some grades performing solidly in math and reading and others trailing, which makes it a school where monitoring progress by subject and cohort matters. The community is predominantly White with growing diversity, and the economic context is working to middle class. A parent considering this school should ask about how the school supports students who are below proficiency, especially in science, and how it addresses the drop-off seen in fifth-grade math.
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