Oak Hill Community Elementary, Saint Cloud MN

Original Research by School Decision on Oak Hill Community Elementary

Oak Hill Community Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the St. Cloud Area School District 742. The school operates as a regular public elementary school in Saint Cloud, a mid-sized regional center along the Mississippi River that is home to St. Cloud State University, a major hospital system, and a manufacturing base. The broader city has seen notable demographic change in recent decades, with a growing population that includes a significant Somali community, and the school’s student body reflects that diversity.

The school enrolls a large student population for an elementary building, with every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade filling multiple sections. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse: a plurality of students are Black, a substantial share are white, and smaller shares identify as Hispanic, Asian, or of two or more races. A high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves many families with lower household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the availability of special education services and English language support.

On state assessments in math, reading, and science, Oak Hill’s results sit below the midpoint relative to other elementary schools in Stearns County. Proficiency rates across the tested grades and subjects fall below the county median. In math, the share of students meeting state standards varies by grade, with fourth grade showing a higher rate than third or fifth. In reading, fifth graders had a higher proficiency rate than third and fourth graders. Science results, available only for fifth grade, are lower than the math and reading figures. These are one-year snapshots; trend data are not yet available to show whether performance is improving or declining. Families considering the school may want to discuss how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks and what academic interventions are in place.

The school is part of the St. Cloud Public School District, which is one of the larger employers in the area. The district’s recent plans or changes were not surfaced in the available research, so a parent may want to check the district’s website or attend a board meeting for the most current information on programming, budgets, or boundary adjustments.

The neighborhoods surrounding Oak Hill Community Elementary fall within the Saint Cloud housing market, where typical home values and rents are below the state and national averages, making the area relatively more affordable than many parts of Minnesota. The broader city offers a mix of historic downtown amenities, university resources, and riverfront parks, and it is connected to the Twin Cities by an interstate highway.

The available data for Oak Hill does not include information on class sizes, teacher experience, discipline rates, or chronic absenteeism, so a family evaluating the school will want to gather those details from the school or district directly. Overall, Oak Hill is a large, diverse elementary school with a high level of economic need among its families and academic proficiency that lags behind the county average. It is best suited for families who value a diverse student body and are comfortable working with the school to address academic gaps, and who want a neighborhood elementary option within the St. Cloud district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 33% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 22% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolST. CLOUD 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-income27%Higher-income64%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income56%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income62%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income83%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income56%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income66%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income35%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income68%Higher-income85%17 pp gap