The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Onamia Elementary School
Onamia Elementary School serves grades three through six as a regular public school within the Onamia Public School District. The school sits in the small town of Onamia, Minnesota, a community just south of Mille Lacs Lake that the city describes as the area's largest population center, with healthcare from Mille Lacs Health System, light industry, and locally owned businesses forming its economic base. The town is compact, roughly one square mile, with Main Street running along Minnesota State Highway 27, and public amenities include a depot library, several city parks, a skate park, and the Soo Line South Trail for bicycles and ATVs. Onamia saw its population decline over the decade leading to the most recent census, though more recent estimates indicate a modest recovery and a growth rate that is slightly positive.
The student body at Onamia Elementary is not large for a school serving four grade levels. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is distinctive: a large share of students are American Indian or Alaska Native, roughly matching the share of white students, with smaller numbers of students identifying as two or more races or from other backgrounds. This reflects the area's proximity to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, which operates its own K-12 tribal school facilities in a nearby unincorporated area.
State assessment results for the most recent school year show a varied picture across grades and subjects, and a parent should look closely at the grade-level patterns. In reading, proficiency rates across the four tested grades ranged from a lower figure in third grade to a higher figure in sixth grade. In math, the pattern was starker: fourth grade produced the strongest result among the grades, while fifth and sixth grades both showed much lower proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a low proficiency rate. Combining all tested subjects and grades into a single measure, overall proficiency sits below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Mille Lacs County. Because the data covers only one school year, it is not possible to see whether these figures represent a trend or a single snapshot.
There is no graduation rate or high school outcome data for Onamia Elementary, as the school serves only upper elementary grades. The district to which it belongs, Onamia Public School District, operates additional schools that serve older students, but the available information on the district turned up little in the way of recent major changes or new initiatives reported publicly. No data was available on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or course access for this elementary school, and the school's special education and English learner population counts were not reported in the data provided.
Housing in the area around Onamia Elementary shows home values that are below the state average, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home would consume a notable share of a typical household's income, though rental costs appear more moderate relative to income. The area's unemployment rate runs slightly above the national figure. For families considering a move to Onamia, the town offers a rural lakes-region setting with modest housing costs relative to much of the state, but the school's academic performance numbers suggest that a parent may want to investigate the specific supports and programs the school offers, particularly in math and reading at the lower grades, to understand how the school works with students where proficiency rates are lower.
See more original research from School Decision →