Winterquist Elementary, Esko MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Winterquist Elementary

Winterquist Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in Esko, a small, rural unincorporated community in Carlton County, Minnesota. The school is part of the Esko Public School District and sits at the town’s traditional center, near the intersection of Interstate 35 and County Road 1. Esko itself has a tight-knit character, with roots in Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish immigration, and the school and a small historical museum anchor local civic life. The district’s boundaries include this community and surrounding parts of Thomson Township, but the district brief turned up no recent major changes to report. Housing in the area is priced above the national median, and the economy relies on education, health care, transportation, and warehousing. The community is car-dependent, with no significant walkable commercial district, and families drive to nearby Cloquet or Duluth for many services.

Academically, Winterquist Elementary stands out in its county. Among districts in Carlton County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. Math results are notably strong. Reading performance is solid and consistent across grade levels, with a clear majority of students meeting state standards. Science results, available for fifth grade, are lower; a smaller share of students reached proficiency. The state changed the science assessment and cut scores for the tested year, so a parent may want to ask the school about how those results compare with prior years or with other measures of science learning. No trend data beyond a single year is available yet, so it is not possible to see how performance has changed over time.

The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students from two or more races and very few from other racial backgrounds. About a sixth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is relatively low compared to many Minnesota elementary schools. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, nor was chronic absenteeism. The school has no Title I status listed. Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate, and course access information for older grades does not apply. No program offerings such as gifted services or dual language were reported.

For families considering this school, the academic picture is one of consistent strength in math and reading, with an area to explore in science. The school’s size is moderate for an elementary building, and its grade span means students move on to Lincoln High School in the same district. The community is quiet, rural, and historically rooted, with a housing market that reflects demand from people who work in education and nearby industries. The lack of walkability and reliance on driving are real trade offs. A parent who values strong elementary math and reading outcomes, a small-town setting, and a school that sits at the heart of its community will find Winterquist Elementary a compelling option. A parent who wants high science scores from the start or needs data on special populations may want to ask the school directly about those specifics.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 82%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 47 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 22 pts above state median

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolESKO 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-income39%Higher-income69%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income64%Higher-income67%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income71%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income56%Higher-income69%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income78%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income79%Higher-income83%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income64%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income76%14 pp gap