Williams Elementary, Shoreview MN

Original Research by School Decision on Williams Elementary

Williams Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Shoreview, a second-ring suburb north of Saint Paul. The school is part of the Roseville Public School District, which also covers parts of several neighboring communities. Shoreview itself is primarily residential, set among lakes and parks, with a notable corporate presence including Land O’Lakes and other businesses in banking, manufacturing, and medical technology. The built environment is car-oriented, with neighborhoods connected by miles of trails and sidewalks, and there is no traditional walkable downtown. The city grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1980s but has since settled into modest population change.

Academically, Williams Elementary posted proficiency rates that place its overall performance in the top quartile relative to districts across Ramsey County. That is a strong showing for a school of its grade band. In English language arts, the share of students meeting state standards was solid across tested grades, with a notably higher result in sixth grade. Math proficiency was more varied: third grade came in above the school’s overall average, while fourth and sixth grades were a bit lower, and fifth grade was the softest spot. Science results, available for fifth grade only, were moderate. A parent may want to look into the fifth-grade math dip further with the school, especially since the data covers only a single school year, so there is no trend to compare against. The school’s single-year snapshot means you cannot yet see whether these scores are stable or shifting.

The student body is majority white, with substantial shares of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a meaningful share of families with lower household incomes. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available; that is a gap a parent may wish to fill by asking the school directly about special education services and language support programs.

The surrounding housing market is relatively expensive. Home values in the area sit above the statewide benchmark, and rents have been rising. The estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home, assuming a conventional down payment, is higher than the typical rent, which could matter for families weighing homeownership versus renting. The broader economic context shows moderate mortgage rates and a low unemployment rate nationally.

The Roseville district recently passed a bond referendum for facility improvements across its schools, covering safety, accessibility, and learning space upgrades. The district also launched a strategic plan update focused on equity, student wellbeing, and academic achievement. These initiatives may affect the physical environment and curriculum at Williams over time, though specific details about how they apply to this school were not available in the sources reviewed.

Because Williams serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism and discipline data were also absent from the available records. These are common gaps for schools that do not serve high school grades, but a parent may still want to ask about attendance patterns and school climate.

Overall, Williams Elementary offers a suburban setting with a strong relative academic record in its county, a diverse student body by race and income, and a community with ample parks and outdoor amenities. The school sits in a district that is making facility and strategic investments. The uneven math results and missing support-program data are points worth exploring directly with the school to see how well the environment fits a particular child’s needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 49% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 44% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 38% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 42% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 40% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 49% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 670%

School 70% · District 53% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 24% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolROSEVILLE 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-income50%Higher-income68%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income72%48 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income85%65 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income82%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income78%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income67%52 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income52%43 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income78%48 pp gap