The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Groveland Elementary
Groveland Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the western part of Minnetonka, a primarily residential suburb roughly ten miles west of Minneapolis. It is part of the Minnetonka Public School District, one of three districts that cover the city.
The school’s academic performance stands out. On the state assessments administered in the most recent school year, math proficiency was strong across all tested grades, with particularly high results in the upper elementary grades. Reading proficiency showed a more varied pattern: third-grade results were lower than the other grades, while fourth- and fifth-grade reading outcomes were high. Science results for fifth graders, the only grade tested in that subject, were more moderate. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts across Hennepin County, signaling that Groveland Elementary is an academically strong school by regional standards. Only a single year of assessment data is available, so performance trends cannot yet be examined.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students, and very small representations of Black students. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a student population that comes from families with relatively high economic resources. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school about those support structures directly.
Minnetonka itself has a distinctive character. It lacks a traditional downtown core; commercial areas are clustered along highway corridors and in office park settings. The city is home to major corporate headquarters, including Cargill and UnitedHealth Group, and features extensive trail networks and natural areas like the eastern tip of Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Creek. The built environment is auto-oriented, and the city is served by interstates that reinforce a car-dependent layout. Housing costs in the area are high, with home values and rents that are well above national and state averages, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that homeownership is expensive relative to local incomes.
The Minnetonka district has recently navigated some fiscal shifts. Voters approved an operating levy referendum starting in 2021, the district’s first such increase in many years, which provides recurring revenue for class sizes, programming, and technology. More recently, for the 2024–2025 school year, the district implemented budget reductions through attrition and retirements, not layoffs, citing inflation and enrollment changes. The district stated that direct classroom instruction was protected, but the reductions reflect an ongoing constraint on funding.
Groveland Elementary is a strong academic fit for families already living in or moving into this high-cost suburb who are looking for a school where test results are well above county averages. The student population is economically homogenous, and the school’s very low poverty rate means it draws from a community of considerable means. The moderate reading scores in third grade are worth noting; a parent might inquire about early literacy intervention and support. Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the kind of secondary-level course access that families of older students would consider. For a family that values consistently high math performance and is comfortable with the demographic and economic profile of the school’s community, Groveland Elementary represents a strong option within the western suburbs of the Twin Cities.
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