The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Zanewood Community School Steam
Zanewood Community School STEAM is a regular public elementary school in Brooklyn Park, part of the Osseo Public School District. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, and as a STEAM-themed school, its name signals an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics woven into the curriculum. The school does not have charter or magnet status and sits within a large, diverse suburban district that includes both newer and established neighborhoods.
Brooklyn Park itself is a large suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the sixth-largest in Minnesota, with a mix of residential areas, commercial strips, and pockets of remaining farmland. It lacks a traditional walkable downtown and is car-oriented, with major highways and a network of parks and trails providing recreational options. The city is served by three school districts, with the majority of its students attending Osseo Area Schools. Home values in the area are below the state average, and housing costs relative to income make this a more affordable entry point into the Twin Cities suburban market than many nearby communities. The population has seen a modest decline in recent years.
Zanewood Community School STEAM enrolls a student body that is racially and ethnically diverse. The largest groups are Black students, followed by Hispanic and Asian students, with a very small share of white students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. No data was reported for the share of students who receive special education services or are classified as English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school about those support structures directly.
On state assessments, proficiency rates at Zanewood fall below the midpoint for schools in Hennepin County, based on an overall proficiency index that averages results across tested subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rates in third, fourth, and fifth grade were each in the low twenties. In English language arts, the rates varied more by grade: roughly a quarter of third graders were proficient, a smaller share in fourth grade, and closer to a third in fifth grade. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was lower than both the math and English results. These are soft spots in the school's academic profile. A parent should look into these numbers further with the school and explore what specific supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting state benchmarks. Because only a single year of assessment data was available, there is no trend to show whether performance is improving or declining.
The district has recently made some structural additions that may be relevant to families. It opened Aspen Ridge Elementary, a new school in the Maple Grove area, which could affect attendance boundaries over time. It also expanded 279Online, a full-time online school available to students across Minnesota. That program may be an alternative for families who find that the academic outcomes at their neighborhood school do not match what they are looking for, but it is a separate option, not a replacement for what Zanewood offers in person.
Zanewood is a school where a large share of the student body comes from low-income households, and the state testing results show that a majority of students are not reaching proficiency in math, reading, or science by the end of elementary school. Its STEAM theme provides a framing for instruction, but the data does not include any program-level details about how that theme is realized in the classroom. Families considering this school will want to understand what academic interventions, enrichment opportunities, and wraparound services are available, and how the school supports students who enter below grade level. It is a school that fits a family looking for a neighborhood option in a diverse, suburban setting with affordable housing, particularly if they are prepared to be actively involved in monitoring and supplementing academic progress.
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