Rosa Parks Elementary, Mankato MN

Original Research by School Decision on Rosa Parks Elementary

Rosa Parks Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Mankato, part of the Mankato Public School District. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that is diverse and largely low-income. The student body is roughly half White, with Black students making up about a quarter, and smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and Native American students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a signal that the school serves a community with significant economic need.

On state assessments, Rosa Parks Elementary’s results vary noticeably by grade and subject. In math, third grade performance is relatively strong, with roughly two-thirds of students meeting standards. Fifth grade math is around the halfway mark, while fourth grade math is lower. Reading results follow a similar pattern: third and fifth grade show about half of students proficient, but fourth grade reading drops to around one in three. Science, tested only in fifth grade, is lower still, with a small share of students reaching proficiency. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter of schools in Blue Earth County when compared with its peers. A parent may want to ask the school about the supports available for students who are not yet meeting grade-level expectations, particularly in the grades where results are weakest.

The school sits in Mankato, a mid-sized regional hub about an hour and a half southwest of the Twin Cities. The city has a strong college presence, anchored by Minnesota State University, Mankato, along with Bethany Lutheran College and South Central College. Healthcare and education are the dominant employers, and the economy also includes retail, distribution, and manufacturing. Mankato’s downtown contains the county library, courthouse, and event venues, while the university campus is on the east side of town. The city is largely auto-oriented but has a public transit system, parks, and trails along the rivers. Home values in the area are moderate relative to the state average, and rents are similarly modest, making it an affordable option for families.

No data was available on class sizes, teacher experience, discipline rates, or specialized programs like gifted education or intervention services. The district’s recent history did not surface any major changes such as boundary adjustments or referendums that would affect this school directly. Because Rosa Parks is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate or college readiness data to consider.

For a family evaluating this school, the picture is one of a diverse, high-needs student population with academic performance that falls below many other schools in the county. The community itself is stable, with a college-town texture, affordable housing, and a range of civic amenities. The school’s strengths lie in its third-grade math outcomes, but the variation across grades and the low overall proficiency suggest that academic support is an area to explore closely. A visit to the school, a conversation with the principal about intervention programs, and a look at how the school addresses the needs of its low-income and diverse student body would all be worthwhile steps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 69% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 70% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 62% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 55% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 56% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 65% · ▼ 11 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 24% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolMANKATO 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 3Lower-income29%Higher-income71%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income48%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income71%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income61%Higher-income75%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income67%44 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income71%28 pp gap