The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Falcon View Connections Elementary
Falcon View Connections Elementary is a kindergarten through fifth grade public school in Woodbury, Minnesota, but it is not a conventional neighborhood school. It is a full-time online program operated by the Wabasha-Kellogg School District, a district whose physical campus is located roughly an hour away in Wabasha. The school’s address in Woodbury houses administrative and support functions; students learn remotely from home. This makes it a distinct option for families seeking a K-5 virtual education, and the district notes that a substantial share of its total enrollment is now in its Falcon View online programs, which also include a middle and a high school.
The school is small, with an enrollment that is modest for an elementary school. The student body is roughly half white, with notable shares of Black and Hispanic students, a smaller Asian population, and a portion of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that is high. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the reporting we reviewed.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show very low proficiency rates in both math and reading across the tested grades, third through fifth. In science, the fifth-grade results were not reported due to a small number of test takers, a pattern that often indicates a small group that can make comparisons unreliable. The school’s overall proficiency index, which combines all tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quarter when compared with the other districts in Washington County. This is a soft spot, and a parent considering this school would want to investigate further with the school itself—understanding the online learning model, student engagement, and how instruction is delivered may be important context for these numbers.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available.
Woodbury, where the school’s offices are located, is a fast-growing suburban city in the eastern Twin Cities metro. It is known for its medical, retail, and tech employment base, with major employers including a large health system, a major retailer, and a manufacturing company. The city is primarily car-dependent, though it has an extensive network of multi-use trails connecting parks and neighborhoods. Housing values are well above the state and national medians, reflecting a competitive and relatively expensive market. The city’s population has been growing steadily, driven by suburban expansion and proximity to Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
A family evaluating Falcon View Connections Elementary is weighing a very specific proposition: a virtual public school experience, offered by a district that has invested heavily in this model. The academic results to date are weak by standard measures, and the school serves a high-poverty population that may differ from the broader Woodbury community. For some families, the flexibility of online learning may outweigh those results; for others, the proficiency picture will be a serious concern. The available data is limited—no information on course access, staffing ratios, or student support services was provided—so a direct conversation with the school and its current families would be a necessary next step.
See more original research from School Decision →