Woodcrest El. Spanish Immersion, Fridley MN

Original Research by School Decision on Woodcrest El. Spanish Immersion

Woodcrest Elementary Spanish Immersion is a public school in Fridley serving kindergarten through fourth grade, part of the Spring Lake Park Public Schools district. It operates as a regular school with a specialized focus: a Spanish immersion program that the district has expanded into a continuous PreK-through-twelfth-grade pathway. For families choosing this school, the immersion commitment is the centerpiece; a student who starts here can continue in bilingual instruction through high school without switching programs.

Fridley is a first-ring suburban city of Minneapolis, a mix of postwar residential neighborhoods and major corporate and industrial employers such as Medtronic and Target distribution. The city lacks a traditional downtown; its civic facilities are spread across the suburban landscape. Most of Fridley’s growth occurred mid-twentieth century, and the housing stock reflects that era. Home values are moderate relative to the metro area, and rents have risen. The city is car-dependent, though the Northstar Commuter Rail line provides a connection to downtown Minneapolis.

The school’s enrollment is diverse. Hispanic students form the largest group, followed by White students, with smaller shares of multiracial, Black, Asian, and Native American students. A substantial share of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Grade-level enrollment is fairly balanced across kindergarten through fourth grade, with slightly larger classes in the early primary years.

State testing data from 2024-25 covers math and English language arts for grades three and four. The school’s overall proficiency index placed it above the midpoint among Anoka County’s school districts. A science result from 2017-18 is also on record, but it is several years old and covers only fifth grade, which the school no longer serves. Because the school serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate. No trend data is available; this single year of testing is the only current snapshot. As a Spanish immersion program, students take the state assessments in English while receiving instruction primarily in Spanish, a context that families may want to discuss with the school to better understand how it relates to performance.

Data on special education identification, English learner status, and chronic absenteeism was not available in the current public profile. A parent with questions in those areas would need to seek answers directly from the school.

The district itself has shown community support: voters approved an operating levy in 2022 to maintain class sizes and programming, and the school board has certified a levy increase for 2025. The immersion program is a signature offering, and the district’s online high school option provides another alternative.

Woodcrest Elementary Spanish Immersion fits families who want an early, sustained bilingual education track and are comfortable with a suburban setting where automobile access is the norm. The above-average proficiency relative to county peers is a positive signal, but the data is limited in scope and depth. Those seeking detailed information on student support services or longitudinal academic trends should plan to supplement this profile with direct inquiry at the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 36% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 32% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 16% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

This schoolSPRING LAKE PARK PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 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-income23%Higher-income36%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income53%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income73%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income56%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income10%Higher-income56%46 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income40%30 pp gap