The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in English language arts. The lowest is 67% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on New Heights Elementary
New Heights Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through second grade, making it an entry point for families in the East Grand Forks Public Schools system. Because the school covers only the earliest grades, typical academic benchmarks such as a graduation rate or testing data for older students do not apply here. The state testing results that are available date from a single school year and cover only third and fifth graders, which means they reflect a small slice of the school’s population and are not a current measure of the school’s performance. In that limited snapshot, proficiency rates in both math and reading fell at levels that a parent may want to explore further with the school, particularly since the data is old enough that it may not represent what happens in classrooms today.
The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students who identify as Hispanic and a smaller but present Black population. Just under half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. The student count is large for a school that spans only preschool through second grade, which suggests that New Heights is one of the district’s two primary elementary feeder schools and that class sizes are likely robust.
East Grand Forks sits on the Minnesota side of the Red River, directly across from Grand Forks, North Dakota, forming a single metro area. The city itself is a mix of residential neighborhoods and a small downtown with a shopping center, a movie theater, and restaurants along the riverfront. The area was reshaped significantly by a major flood years ago, after which the city cleared development from the floodplain, built a new dike system, and created a large park along the river. The population has declined slightly in recent years, and the local economy is anchored by agriculture-related employers, including a sugar cooperative and a potato farming operation, as well as the school district itself and a community college campus.
Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, and the mortgage rates at the time of this writing were in line with national averages. The city is car-oriented but flat, with a Greenway park system along the rivers and a seasonal farmer’s market in the town square. Public transit connects East Grand Forks to Grand Forks, and the regional airport provides commercial service.
For a family considering this school, the most important factor is that New Heights Elementary is a primary-grades building. Children will move on to other schools in the district after second grade, so the experience here is about foundational years, not the full K-12 arc. The school’s relatively large enrollment for its grade band means it serves a central role in the district’s early education, and the economic diversity of the student body gives it a mix that is fairly typical for a small Midwestern city. The old testing data offers little to go on, and no recent academic performance information was available. The district has no publicly reported major recent changes or strategic initiatives that would alter this picture. A parent would want to visit the school, speak with staff about current instructional approaches, and consider how their child’s experience at New Heights will feed into the district’s later elementary and middle schools.
See more original research from School Decision →