Vandenberge Middle School, Elk River MN

Original Research by School Decision on Vandenberge Middle School

Vandenberge Middle School serves grades six through eight in Elk River, a city in Sherburne County that functions as both a historic county seat and a commuter suburb northwest of Minneapolis. The school is part of the Elk River Public School District, a district that recently secured voter approval for a capital projects levy to fund technology, safety, and facility maintenance, and that also made substantial budget reductions for the 2024-2025 school year, cutting teaching and paraprofessional positions as enrollment declined and costs rose. Families considering the district should be aware of these competing pressures on school resources.

Proficiency on state assessments at Vandenberge is mixed and sits in the bottom quartile among the county's districts when looked at across tested subjects and grades. In reading, the proportion of students meeting state standards varied by grade, with a stronger result for sixth graders than for seventh and eighth graders. Math proficiency also varied by grade, with eighth graders showing the highest rate and seventh graders the lowest. Science results for eighth graders, the only grade tested in that subject, were notably lower than the math or reading numbers, and a parent would want to understand the science curriculum and support further. State testing data for this school is available only from the most recent year, so trends over time are not yet established; with only a single year of reported results, it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or declining.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is moderate for a middle school serving three grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, two or more races, Black, and Asian students, and a very small American Indian or Alaska Native population. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available in the data we reviewed; a parent may wish to ask the school about special education and ELL supports directly.

Elk River itself has experienced substantial growth in recent decades and remains one of the faster-growing corridors in the state, though its Northstar commuter rail line to Minneapolis closed in early 2026 and was replaced by bus service. The city offers over thirty miles of paved walkways and a historic downtown, and it has a mix of manufacturing, health care, and retail employers. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and typical rents are also elevated. The district has also expanded a full-time online learning option, Online728, into a permanent school, giving families an alternative to in-person instruction.

Vandenberge sits in a district navigating budget constraints alongside a voter-approved investment in facilities and technology. Academically, the school posts proficiency rates that are below the midpoint of the county's districts, and some subject-area results are softer than others. For a family weighing this school, the main open questions include how the district's recent staffing reductions affect class sizes and course offerings at the middle school level, what support is available for students who are not meeting benchmarks in reading and math, and how the school approaches eighth-grade science instruction.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 56% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 52% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 58% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 21 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 61% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 53% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 55% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 20% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

This schoolElk River 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 6Lower-income31%Higher-income66%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income45%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income43%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income49%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income41%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap