The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson Elementary serves grades one through four in New Ulm, a small city set at the confluence of the Minnesota and Cottonwood Rivers in south-central Minnesota. It is a regular public school within the New Ulm Public School District and the only elementary building in the district that covers this particular grade span. The school sits on South Payne Street, just a few blocks from the historic downtown core.
The student body is predominantly white, with about a tenth of students identifying as Hispanic and small shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students, more than two in five, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has no data publicly reported on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent who needs those details should ask the school directly.
On the Minnesota state assessments, which are given in grades three and four for math and reading, Jefferson’s results show a split. Math proficiency is a clear strength: roughly three in five third-graders scored proficient, and a similar share of fourth-graders did. Reading proficiency is lower, with fewer than half of students in both grades meeting the bar. When the school’s overall performance across tested subjects and grades is compared with other districts in Brown County, it lands in the top quarter of a five-district cohort. That is a solid showing. Because the school serves only grades one through four, there are no high school graduation data, and chronic absenteeism figures were not available in the public record.
The school’s setting is New Ulm, a community with a stable population that has changed little over the past two decades. The local economy rests on agriculture, food processing, light manufacturing, and the August Schell Brewing Company, which is Minnesota’s oldest brewery. Martin Luther College also anchors the town. The German cultural heritage is strong, and the downtown has Bavarian-influenced architecture, a glockenspiel in Schonlau Park, and Turner Hall, the oldest continuously used Turner Hall in the United States. Wide streets and a compact downtown mean that many of the civic amenities are within a short distance of the school. Home values in New Ulm are noticeably lower than the state average, making it a relatively affordable place for families who work in the area.
The district recently opened a Career Technical Education Center for high school students, housed in a donated industrial building that was renovated in summer 2021. That facility does not directly touch Jefferson’s elementary program, but it signals that the district is investing in hands-on pathways for older students. A parent considering Jefferson will find a school where math performance is a clear asset, reading results are softer and worth discussing with the school, and the broader community offers a stable, walkable, culturally distinctive environment that is more affordable than many parts of Minnesota.
See more original research from School Decision →