The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in Math. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Daytons Bluff Elementary
Daytons Bluff Elementary is a regular public school in Saint Paul’s East Side neighborhood, serving children from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Saint Paul Public Schools, the district that covers the state’s capital and second-largest city. Saint Paul itself is a dense, diverse urban center anchored by state government, a noted park system, and a Mississippi River setting. The school sits in a residential neighborhood of the city, drawing from an attendance zone within that larger urban fabric.
The student body reflects the city’s diversity. Black and Asian students each make up substantial shares of the enrollment, with a smaller portion of white students, a group of Hispanic students, and a group of students who identify as two or more races. A very high share of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need that indicates many families are navigating financial constraints. Data on the share of students with disabilities or identified as English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the services and supports in place for those populations, if that information matters to them.
Daytons Bluff is a smaller elementary school. Its size gives it the feel of a neighborhood school where students move through the grades in a relatively contained community. The school’s academic performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, reported for the 2024-25 school year, shows that proficiency rates in both math and reading are below the midpoint when compared to other districts across Ramsey County. In third grade, about two in five students met the math standard, while in fourth and fifth grade that share was lower. In reading, the proficiency rate was in the low teens across the tested grades. In fifth grade science, the share of students scoring proficient was very small. These are difficult numbers, and a family considering this school would want to understand the school’s approach to academic intervention and support, and to discuss with the building how it addresses the individual needs of students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
Because Daytons Bluff serves grades PK through 5, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the kinds of advanced courses, career pathways, or high school electives that families might look for at a secondary campus. The program data was not available, so it is not possible to describe specific offerings beyond what the school itself may discuss. The district has recently opened a new environmental STEM magnet middle school in Woodbury and converted one elementary into an East African Elementary Magnet, but Daytons Bluff itself is a regular attendance-area school, not a magnet or charter.
Housing in the school’s zip code is priced below the state average, with a typical home value that is notably less than the typical Minnesota home. Rents also sit below the state median, consistent with a neighborhood where the cost of living is relatively moderate by Twin Cities standards. This makes the area accessible to households looking for a more affordable entry point into the Saint Paul housing market, though families should weigh that against the academic picture at the school.
The peer environment at Daytons Bluff is one where the vast majority of students come from low-income households, and the student body is racially and ethnically diverse. A family choosing this school should expect a setting where the central academic challenge is raising student performance, and where the school’s small size may allow for close relationships between staff and families. A parent would do well to visit, talk with the principal about the school’s instructional strategies, and ask about before- and after-school supports, family engagement efforts, and any targeted programming for the many students who enter below grade level. The data alone does not answer those questions, but it raises them plainly.
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