The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Warroad Elementary
Warroad Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Warroad Public School District, a small district in northwestern Minnesota just below the Canadian border. The school is located in the city of Warroad, a community of modest size on the southwest shore of Lake of the Woods. The town is known as a regional hub for commerce, outdoor recreation, and a deep hockey tradition. Marvin Windows, one of the largest window manufacturers in the country, is headquartered here and anchors the local industrial economy, while tourism tied to fishing and boating on the lake provides a seasonal lift. Seven Clans Casino is another significant employer. The school sits within a civic and school complex that feels integrated into the small town rather than isolated, with minimal separation between downtown and campus.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of students who identify as two or more races and smaller numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic, and Black students. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving a sense of the economic mix in the community. The school serves about the enrollment you would expect for a small-town elementary covering kindergarten through fifth grade, with the largest grade-level groups in first and fifth grades.
State assessment results are available for math, English language arts, and science. In math, proficiency rates decline as students move up through the grades, with a strong showing at third grade dropping considerably by fifth grade. English language arts results are more consistent across those grades, with a higher share of students meeting the state standard at each level than in math. Science, tested only at fifth grade, shows a lower proficiency rate. Overall, when averaged across all tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index lands well above other districts in Roseau County, placing in the top quartile of that small, four-district comparison set. A parent should note that Minnesota changed the science assessment name and cut scores between recent testing cycles, so the science result reflects a new baseline rather than a direct trend.
The state testing data covers only one year of results in the current format, so there is no multi-year trend available to show whether performance is rising or falling. The school also does not report data on chronic absenteeism or a graduation rate, which is expected given that it serves only elementary grades.
Warroad itself is a compact, low-density town with a traditional main street. Walkability is limited to the central area near Main Avenue. The town has seen recent cultural investment with the opening of RiverPlace, a new performing arts center. No major new housing developments were identified, and the Warroad Pioneer newspaper ceased publication several years ago, reflecting broader trends in rural media. The district brief shows no recent major changes to district policy, programming, or facilities that would alter a family's sense of what this school offers.
For a family considering Warroad Elementary, the picture is of a small-town school with academic results that compare favorably within its rural county, particularly in early-grade reading and math. The decline in math proficiency as students reach fifth grade is a soft spot a parent may want to discuss with the school. The community offers stable industrial employment, strong outdoor recreation, and a tight-knit civic life. Families moving here from outside the region should be aware that the school's size and rural setting mean fewer programmatic bells and whistles than a larger suburban or urban elementary might provide, and that the housing market, while more affordable than state and national benchmarks, reflects the local economic base.
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