Birch Grove School for the Arts, Brooklyn Park MN

Original Research by School Decision on Birch Grove School for the Arts

Birch Grove School for the Arts is an elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, part of the Osseo Public School District. The school’s name signals a focus on the arts, though no specific program details were available in the data to describe how that emphasis is structured in the curriculum or daily instruction.

The student body is diverse and includes a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic range of the surrounding community. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school of this grade band, with a balanced distribution across each grade level. The school serves a population that is predominantly students of color, with the largest groups being Black, Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial, alongside a smaller share of White students and a small number of American Indian students.

On the most recent state assessments, overall proficiency was below the midpoint relative to districts in Hennepin County. In math, the share of students meeting state standards decreased from third to fifth grade, with the fifth-grade result notably lower than the earlier grades. Reading performance varied by grade: third- and fourth-grade proficiency was similar to math, while fifth-grade reading was higher, reaching a level that stands out compared to the other grades at the school. Science results for fifth graders were low, though the assessment had changes in name and cut scores, so direct comparison with prior years may not be straightforward. Only one year of data was available, so no trend can be drawn.

Birch Grove is located in Brooklyn Park, a large suburban city in northern Hennepin County that sits on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The city is car-oriented, with major highways providing connections to Minneapolis and the broader Twin Cities region. There is no traditional walkable downtown; commercial activity is concentrated along corridors, and residential neighborhoods are spread across a landscape that still includes some undeveloped land and working farms. The city has an extensive network of parks and trails, including regional trail systems and recreational fields. Brooklyn Park’s population has declined slightly in recent years, and housing values are in a middle range for the metro area, with rents rising at a pace that outpaces income growth for some households.

The school is part of Osseo Area Schools, a district that recently expanded its full-time online school, 279Online, which now serves students across Minnesota in grades K through 12, offering a flexible alternative to in-person attendance. The district also opened a new elementary school, Aspen Ridge, in the Maple Grove area, a capital investment that affects school boundaries and capacity in the northern part of the district.

Families considering Birch Grove School for the Arts will find an elementary school with a stated arts orientation and a student body that reflects the suburban diversity of Brooklyn Park. Academic proficiency, as measured by state tests, sits below the middle of the pack among Hennepin County districts, with particular soft spots in the upper elementary math and science scores. A parent may want to inquire with the school about how the arts focus is integrated into the academic program and what supports are in place to raise achievement in tested subjects.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 57% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 54% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 44% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 44% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 42% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 53% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 23% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

This schoolOSSEO 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-income24%Higher-income35%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income40%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income39%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income57%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income35%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income28%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income27%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income17%6 pp gap