The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 24% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hamilton Ridge Elementary School
HamiltonRidge Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Savage, a suburban bedroom community about a fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive south of downtown Minneapolis. The school is part of Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, the district that covers much of Savage along with the adjacent city of Prior Lake. The enrollment is large for an elementary school, and the grade-level sections are roughly balanced across K through 5. The student body is predominantly white, with a moderate share of students who are Asian, Black, Hispanic, or of two or more races. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a relatively low poverty rate that aligns with the community’s overall profile as a developing exurb of single-family homes and growing subdivisions.
On state assessments, Hamilton Ridge’s performance across tested subjects and grades places it among the stronger elementary schools in Scott County relative to the median of all districts in the county. The proficiency index, a composite of all reported rates, sits in the top quartile. That overall picture is worth examining by grade and subject because the results are uneven. In fourth-grade math, roughly three out of five students met the state standard, a solid showing that puts that grade ahead of the school’s own average. Third-grade math is similarly solid. Fifth-grade math, however, drops noticeably, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. In reading, the pattern flips: third-grade reading is a soft spot, with well under half of students proficient, while fourth grade climbs to a comfortable majority, and fifth grade reaches about two-thirds proficient. Science is tested only at fifth grade, and that result is low, with about one in four students meeting the standard. It is important to note that Minnesota changed the science test and its cut scores for the 2024-25 school year, so that single year’s figure is not comparable to prior years or to trends from other subjects. A parent curious about science instruction may want to ask the school how they are addressing the fifth-grade dip and how the new assessment compares to previous expectations.
The school’s academic pathway is a conventional elementary curriculum feeding into Eagle Ridge Middle School and then Prior Lake High School if the student remains in this attendance zone. No high school graduation data applies because the school serves only early grades. There is no information available on programs such as gifted services, special education, or English learner support; a family needing those specifics should contact the school directly. The multi-year trend data contains only a single year, so no growth trend can be gauged.
Savage has been growing steadily since the early 2000s, spurred by the construction of a major bridge over the Minnesota River that opened up greenfield land. The community remains largely car-dependent, with a small historic downtown along Highway 13 and a network of parks and trails. Housing values in the zip code are above the state median, and rents have been rising, consistent with an in-demand southern metro suburb. The city’s schools are distributed across separate campuses rather than clustered downtown; Hamilton Ridge sits in a residential neighborhood.
In the district, voters approved an operating levy increase in late 2023 that funds class-size management and mental health support across schools. That same vote defeated a bond measure that would have paid for a new elementary school and security upgrades at existing buildings. The levy approval is a direct benefit for Hamilton Ridge because it sustains the kind of supports that matter in an elementary setting. The bond failure, however, means that facility capacity remains a question in a district that is still absorbing growth. A family moving into this attendance area should be aware that the elementary building is not slated to expand soon, though the district may revisit the capital plan in future years.
Hamilton Ridge fits a family looking for a suburban elementary with above-average academic results in the lower grades, a predominantly white peer group with modest economic diversity, and a district that has committed to mental health and class-size funding. The fifth-grade math and science scores are areas the school is likely working on; a parent who values consistent performance across all elementary years will want to track whether those numbers improve. The housing market is priced above the state norm, and the broader community is growing but still retains open-space amenities like the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge nearby.
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