Huddleston Elementary, Lakeville MN

Original Research by School Decision on Huddleston Elementary

Huddleston Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Lakeville, a fast-growing outer-ring exurb of the Twin Cities. The school sits within Lakeville Area Schools, a district that runs nine elementary buildings, three middle schools, and two large high schools. Like the community it serves, the school has a strongly suburban character: most students are white, roughly a third qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and enrollment is moderate for an elementary building serving this grade span. The school's racial and ethnic composition is majority white, with Black and Hispanic students each making up about one-tenth of the student body, smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students, and a very small American Indian population.

Academically, Huddleston Elementary posts overall proficiency results that place it well above the midpoint among districts in Dakota County. On state math assessments, proficiency rates decline noticeably as grade levels rise, from a solid level in third grade to a weaker showing in fifth grade. Reading proficiency is more consistent across the grades, with rates in the middle of the range for third and fourth graders and a stronger result in fifth grade. Science testing, administered only to fifth graders, shows a lower proficiency rate that may give a parent pause; the science assessment changed recently, so trend comparisons are not possible. Because only one year of test data was available in the source material, it is not possible to see whether these performance levels represent an upward or downward trajectory. A parent concerned about elementary science instruction may want to ask the school how it approaches that subject.

The school does not have reported data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access. Those gaps are common when a school data system does not yet populate those fields for a given year, so their absence should not be read as a concern. Similarly, there is no graduation rate because the school serves only elementary grades.

The district brief notes that Lakeville Area Schools redrew elementary and middle school attendance boundaries effective for the 2026-27 school year, tied to the opening of a ninth elementary building. Families moving into the area should check the current attendance maps because Huddleston's assigned neighborhood may have shifted for some addresses. High school boundaries were not changed.

Lakeville itself is one of the fastest-growing communities in the Twin Cities metro area, with a population that has increased substantially since 2020. The city is car-dependent, with single-family subdivisions, strip retail along the interstate, and a large industrial park anchoring local employment. A historic downtown offers some walkable dining and shopping, but most daily errands require driving. The school district, with three high school attendance zones that date from the city's agricultural era, is a central organizing feature of community identity. Housing values in the area are elevated relative to state and national benchmarks, and rents have been rising, reflecting the steady demand from families moving into the south metro for both schools and jobs.

For a family considering Huddleston Elementary, the school offers a solid academic profile that sits comfortably above average for the county. The main area a parent may want to look into further is the downward trend in math proficiency across grades and the comparatively low fifth-grade science scores. The school is a regular public elementary in a growing, family-oriented suburb with plenty of parks and trails, but it asks families to accept a suburban commute and a housing market that has become expensive. The boundary adjustments are worth investigating before committing to a home, because a given address may now feed into a different elementary school than it did in prior years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 68% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 67% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 59% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 57% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 58% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 71% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 37% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolLakeville Area Schools, 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 3Lower-income38%Higher-income59%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income64%43 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income68%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income67%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income69%42 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income53%22 pp gap