The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 61% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kenny Elementary
Kenny Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Minneapolis Public School District. It sits on Emerson Avenue South in a residential neighborhood of the city. The school is not a charter and does not carry a magnet designation; no Title I status was reported, and the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is small, indicating a relatively low-poverty student population.
Academically, the school posts results that place it in the top quartile among all elementary schools in Hennepin County when measured by an overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades. In math and English language arts, a very high share of students in grades three, four, and five meet or exceed state standards on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. Science, tested only in fifth grade, shows a solid but somewhat lower proficiency rate than reading and math, roughly in line with a typical range for a high-performing elementary. These scores come from the 2024-25 school year, the only year of state testing data available in the record; no prior-year trend can be assessed, so the floor is a single-year snapshot of strong performance.
The student body is predominantly white, with small but present Hispanic, Black, and multiracial populations. Enrollment is on the smaller side for an elementary school in a large urban district. No data were reported on the share of students receiving special education services or those classified as English learners, so a parent seeking that information would want to ask the school directly. The school does not serve any high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data also were not available.
The housing market around Kenny Elementary reflects the broader dynamics of the southwest Minneapolis area. Home values in the school’s zip code are notably higher than both the state and national benchmarks, and rents follow a similar pattern. This suggests the immediate neighborhood is an above-average-cost area relative to the broader metro, which may influence the demographic composition of the school.
Kenny operates within the Minneapolis Public School District, which has been under significant fiscal and structural pressure in recent years. The district has closed multiple schools in response to declining enrollment and a projected budget deficit, and it has implemented a Comprehensive District Design that restructured attendance boundaries and magnet program placements. These district-level changes could affect which elementary school a family is assigned to or how pathways to middle and high school are configured. Kenny itself, however, continues to report strong academic outcomes that stand out even within a district facing headwinds.
The city of Minneapolis anchors the region as a dense urban center with a robust job market, major cultural institutions, and extensive parks and lakes. The school’s location in a quieter residential pocket of that city offers families a blend of city amenities and a neighborhood-scale elementary experience. Parents considering Kenny should be aware that the combination of high proficiency, low poverty enrollment, and elevated home values tends to correlate with a peer environment where most students come from educationally advantaged backgrounds. For families seeking a strong academic floor and a school where a large majority of students are already meeting state benchmarks, this school presents a compelling option. Those looking for more demographic diversity or a wider range of program offerings may want to explore what else is available within the district. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations is a gap that interested parents should fill through direct inquiry.
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