The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Montessori at Franklin Elementary
Montessori at Franklin Elementary is a district-wide public school in Rochester, Minnesota, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it operates as a choice program within the Rochester Public School District. Because it is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school, the data available covers only those grades and includes no high school measures such as graduation rates.
The school’s stated pedagogy is the Montessori method, a child-directed approach that typically features mixed-age classrooms, self-paced learning, and hands-on materials. For a family considering Montessori at Franklin, the first question is whether that educational model aligns with their priorities. The school’s enrollment is small, which is consistent with a specialized program housed in a single building.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of students who are Black, two or more races, Asian, and Hispanic, in that order. About a quarter of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is lower than what many public elementary schools see. This suggests a student population that is, on balance, economically more stable, though a parent should still ask how the school supports students from families with fewer resources.
On state assessments for the most recent testing year, performance varied noticeably by grade and subject. In reading, third graders showed a moderate proficiency rate, fourth graders a similar rate, and fifth graders a strong one. In math, the pattern was different: third graders posted a solid rate, fourth graders a moderate one, and fifth graders a lower one. In science, tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was below the midpoint. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Olmsted County. That is a strong relative position, though the mixed grade-level results mean a parent may want to ask the school how it addresses the drop-off in fifth-grade math and the middling science outcome.
The school has no reported data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access, so it is hard to characterize the day-to-day environment from quantitative measures. The absence of these fields does not signal a problem; it simply means the information is not in the record. A parent considering the school should ask the principal or a current family about classroom culture, teacher retention, and how the school handles student behavior and attendance.
Rochester, where the school is located, is a mid-sized city defined by Mayo Clinic, which anchors the economy and draws more than two million visitors a year. Downtown is dense with clinic buildings, hotels, and retail, and a network of skyways and subterranean walkways connects much of it. Residential neighborhoods spread out from the core. The city is growing, driven by the Destination Medical Center initiative, and a new bus rapid transit line is under construction. Rochester Public Schools have opened a new elementary school, Overland Elementary, to relieve overcrowding, and have launched an online learning program. These district-level changes affect capacity and options, though Montessori at Franklin itself appears to be a stable, established program.
Housing values in the area are slightly below the state median mortgage and rent levels, making the Rochester market more affordable than many parts of Minnesota. The city’s unemployment rate and median household income track close to national medians.
For a family that wants a Montessori elementary program within a public school setting, and who values a small, relatively stable student body and a school whose test performance sits well above most of its county peers, Montessori at Franklin is a strong option to investigate. The mixed grade-level results in math and science are the main points to explore further with the school. For a family that needs a traditional classroom structure, or that wants robust data on discipline and staffing before enrolling, the school’s lack of publicly reported information in those areas may be a gap worth probing directly.
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