The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on New Heights Elementary School
New Heights Elementary School is a small public charter school in Stillwater, Minnesota, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the New Heights School Inc. district, which the school shares with a companion secondary campus. The school operates as a regular school under its charter, meaning it follows state standards but has its own governance.
Stillwater is a historic city on the St. Croix River, with a downtown that draws tourists to its preserved buildings and riverfront attractions. The local economy includes manufacturing—plastic molds, automotive parts, windows, and medical supplies—as well as two state prisons that are major employers. The city has grown through annexation agreements, expanding its western boundary, and its population increased over the past decade. The housing market in the zip code reflects home values well above state and national medians, and rents are also elevated relative to the national average. That puts housing in Stillwater on the pricier side for Minnesota, a relevant factor for families choosing a school.
The school’s enrollment is very small, which is typical for a single-grade-band charter. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of students identifying as two or more races. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Academically, New Heights Elementary’s performance on state assessments places it in the bottom quarter relative to districts in Washington County. That comparison is based on overall proficiency across the subjects and grades tested. In reading and math, the school’s aggregate proficiency rates were below the median for the county. The most recent state science assessment results were suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers, and the participation rate was low, so no reliable picture of science performance exists. The school has only one year of results in the available data, making it impossible to see a trend; a parent may want to ask how the school tracks student growth over time and what academic interventions are in place.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, and state testing is limited to grades three through five. That means the academic picture is narrow by design. The school does not offer the programmatic breadth that larger schools might, but as a charter it may have a distinct instructional approach—the data provided did not describe the curriculum or teaching model, so families would need to explore that directly.
The district itself is small, and a search for recent parent-relevant changes did not surface any major developments like boundary shifts, leadership turnover, or program additions. For a family considering this school, the key factors are the small size, the charter structure, the high economic need among students, and the below-average test performance relative to other schools in the county. Stillwater’s housing costs add a layer of financial context for families who would need to live in the area. The school’s location in a historic river town with a tourism-driven economy gives it a distinctive setting, but the academic results are the central consideration for most parents.
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