Ella Baker Elementary, Minneapolis MN

Original Research by School Decision on Ella Baker Elementary

Ella Baker Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Minneapolis Public School District. Located in the city’s Whittier neighborhood, the school sits in a dense urban area that is part of a larger district under significant financial and enrollment pressure. The school’s academic performance, as measured by the state’s standardized assessments, places it well below the midpoint of schools in Hennepin County, a pattern that calls for close attention from any family considering this option.

On the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, proficiency rates in mathematics and English language arts were quite low across every tested grade. In math, the share of students meeting state standards ranged from the single digits in some grades to just above that threshold in others; no grade approached even a quarter of students proficient. Reading and writing results followed a similar pattern, with most grades showing proficiency rates in the mid-teens or lower. Science results, available for fifth and eighth graders, were markedly low as well. The school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile among districts in Hennepin County. These numbers are a clear signal: a substantial majority of students are not reaching state learning benchmarks in core subjects, and families should expect that this school serves a population with significant academic challenges. There is no multi-year trend data available beyond a single year, so it is not possible to tell whether these results reflect a recent decline or a longer-standing pattern.

The student body is diverse and economically disadvantaged. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a high-need population. Black and Hispanic students together account for the largest racial groups, followed by smaller shares of White, multiracial, American Indian, and Asian students. The school does not report the share of students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, which is a gap a parent may want to explore directly with the school’s administration.

Ella Baker is part of the Minneapolis Public School District, which has been navigating a sustained enrollment drop and resulting budget deficits. The district closed three schools at the end of the 2022-23 school year and has implemented a Comprehensive District Design that restructured attendance boundaries and magnet programs, affecting which schools feed into which. Voters rejected an operating levy increase in 2020, and the district faced a multimillion-dollar deficit for 2024-25, leading to staff reductions and program cuts. These district-level pressures may affect class sizes, available resources, and the stability of programs at Ella Baker, and families should factor in this broader uncertainty.

The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects Minneapolis’s urban core: home values are above the national median, and rents are high. The city itself is a major employment and cultural hub, home to the University of Minnesota, corporate headquarters, and extensive parks and lakes. Transportation options include light rail and bus service. For families living in the Whittier area or nearby neighborhoods, Ella Baker is a neighborhood school option.

Because the school serves only up to eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to evaluate, and data on chronic absenteeism is not available. No information on special programs, such as magnet offerings or advanced coursework, was provided. For a family weighing this school, the most consequential facts are its consistently low state test results, its high concentration of students in poverty, and the district’s ongoing fiscal and enrollment difficulties. A parent who values a diverse urban setting, is aware of the academic challenges, and is prepared to be an active advocate for their child’s learning may find this a fitting community school. Others may want to investigate further what interventions and supports are in place to address the proficiency gaps.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 45% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 43% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 32% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 63%

School 3% · District 33% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 30% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 32% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 40% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 39% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 46% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 42% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 36% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 37% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 26% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 14% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolMinneapolis 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-income4%Higher-income23%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income40%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income8%Higher-income31%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income4%Higher-income29%25 pp gap