Palmer Lake Elementary, Brooklyn Park MN

Original Research by School Decision on Palmer Lake Elementary

Palmer Lake Elementary sits in Brooklyn Park, a large suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River in northern Hennepin County. The city is a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and remaining undeveloped land and farms, including the historic Eidem Homestead. It is considered both a second- and third-tier suburb of Minneapolis, with much of the land north of 85th Avenue developed later. Brooklyn Park lacks a traditional downtown and is car-oriented, with major highways including I-94, I-694, US Highway 169, MN 81, and County Road 81 serving as primary routes. The city features 47 miles of trails and 67 parks, providing recreational connectivity, but street life is limited to commercial nodes along major corridors. Brooklyn Park is served by three school districts, with the Osseo Public School District covering the majority, including Palmer Lake Elementary.

The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Asian students represent the largest group, followed by Black students, then Hispanic students, students of two or more races, White students, and a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students. State testing data was available for the most recent school year. In math, proficiency across grades three through five was below the midpoint of the county’s districts, with the highest rate in third grade and the lowest in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency across grades three through five was also below the midpoint, with the highest rate in fifth grade and the lowest in fourth grade. In science, only fifth graders are tested, and the proficiency rate was notably lower than in the other subjects. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed the school above the midpoint when compared to other elementary-level entities across Hennepin County, but within a wide band.

A parent may want to look into these results further with the school. The district has expanded its full-time online school, 279Online, which now serves students across Minnesota in grades K-12, providing a flexible education option. The district also opened a new elementary school, Aspen Ridge Elementary, in the Maple Grove area to accommodate growing enrollment, a change that can affect school boundaries and capacity. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access was not available for this school. Information on the school's special education and English learner populations was also missing from the profile, so a reader may wish to ask the school directly about these supports.

The housing market in the area shows home values below the state benchmark but above the national benchmark. For families considering the area, the typical monthly mortgage payment and rent-to-income ratio are relevant factors. The city’s population has been declining slightly in recent years, though the northern portion saw later suburban growth and the city retains some undeveloped land, suggesting potential for future change. Major roadways connect the city to the broader Twin Cities region, and several college campuses in the city serve as additional civic anchors. This is a school serving an economically diverse, high-needs population in a large suburban setting where academic performance in state assessments has room for improvement across subjects and grade levels.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 57% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 54% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 44% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 44% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 42% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 53% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 12 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-income18%Higher-income48%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income39%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income26%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income64%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income52%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income47%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income28%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income50%30 pp gap