The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Andersen Elementary
Andersen Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Stillwater Area Public Schools district in Bayport, a small St. Croix River city with an industrial backbone. The school is one of several regular public elementary buildings feeding into the district’s middle and high schools. The student body is small for its grade band and predominantly White, with small shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races and very small shares of Asian, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Roughly one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is lower than what many Minnesota elementary schools report. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available in the source we used, so a reader would want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports in place.
Academic performance on the Minnesota state assessments shows a pattern worth a close look. In math, proficiency rates climb from a clear majority in third grade to a strong majority in fourth grade, then drop sharply in fifth grade, where roughly a quarter of students met the bar. English language arts follows a similar shape, with just under half of third graders proficient, just under half of fourth graders, and just over half of fifth graders. Science is tested only in fifth grade, and results there mirror the math drop, with roughly a quarter of students proficient. A parent may want to investigate this fifth-grade dip with the school to understand whether it reflects a cohort effect, a curriculum shift, or something else in the transition year before middle school. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint among districts in Washington County, a position that frames the school as performing in the middle to lower range relative to its county peers. Because only one year of assessment data was available in the source, there is no trend to compare against.
The school itself is a regular public elementary in a district that did not have widely reported recent changes that would affect a parent’s decision. Bayport, the community it sits in, is defined by the Andersen Corporation, the window manufacturer that is the city’s dominant employer and economic anchor. The Minnesota Correctional Facility – Stillwater, located within Bayport’s limits and historically a major institutional presence housing a substantial inmate population counted in census data, is slated to close in the late 2020s, opening a large site for redevelopment. The city’s population has been stable, and its industrial base remains anchored by Andersen. Housing values in the area are elevated relative to national benchmarks, and the typical home costs significantly more than the Minnesota statewide figure, reflecting the broader Washington County market. The affordability picture shows a typical mortgage payment well above the cost of renting, putting homeownership out of reach for many households.
Bayport itself is a compact river town with a small historic downtown, four public parks, a marina, and community events such as Derby Days and a Monday Farmers Market. It is bisected by a state highway as a main route, and it does not have rail transit. Street life is limited to civic gatherings and riverfront activity. Schools are part of the Stillwater Area district, and while Andersen sits in Bayport, the middle and high schools are in neighboring areas. For a family weighing this school, the picture is one of a small, predominantly White elementary with a modest share of low-income students and a clear performance strength in the early elementary years, especially fourth-grade math, alongside a noticeable drop in fifth-grade testing outcomes that invites a conversation with the school. The broader context is a stable, industry-anchored small city with a significant redevelopment opportunity on the horizon and a housing market that is expensive relative to state and national norms.
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