Kimberly Lane Elementary, Plymouth MN

Original Research by School Decision on Kimberly Lane Elementary

Kimberly Lane Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Wayzata Public School District, located in the large, mature suburb of Plymouth, about ten miles west of downtown Minneapolis. The school is one of several elementary schools in a district that also includes middle schools and one high school.

The student body reflects the surrounding community. The enrollment is moderately sized for an elementary school serving this grade band. The demographic composition is diverse, with a substantial share of students who are Asian and a majority who are white, along with smaller shares of students who are Black, Hispanic, or of two or more races. A modest proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively low rate of economic disadvantage compared to many schools statewide.

Academically, the school’s performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments places it in the top quartile for overall proficiency among elementary schools relative to districts in Hennepin County. In math, proficiency rates were strong across the tested grades, with a high share of third and fourth graders meeting standards, and a slightly lower but still solid share of fifth graders doing the same. In English language arts, results were similarly strong, with a very high share of fifth graders meeting the bar, and a solid majority of third and fourth graders also proficient. The one softer spot in the data appears in fifth-grade science, where a smaller share of students were judged proficient. The assessment for that grade and subject underwent a change in the test name and cut scores that year, so direct comparisons with prior years are not possible, but the result itself is a metric a parent may want to ask the school about, particularly to understand how science instruction is supported in the upper elementary grades.

For a school that serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The multi-year academic trend data shows only a single year’s result, so there is no basis to describe improvement or decline over time. The school’s discipline data, course access, and staffing ratios were not available in the source material. Similarly, information on the share of students receiving special education services or English learner supports was not reported in the data provided.

Plymouth as a city is a largely built-out, car-dependent suburb with a campus-style civic center rather than a traditional downtown. Five school districts serve different portions of the city, with Wayzata Public Schools being the largest. The district itself passed an operating levy renewal in 2023, extending stable funding for class sizes and programs, and has been managing enrollment growth through capacity adjustments, including the addition of a new elementary school. Wayzata Online was also established as a permanent full-time virtual high school option. Housing in the area is expensive, with home values and rents well above national medians, reflecting the broader Twin Cities western suburban market.

Kimberly Lane Elementary offers families in this part of Plymouth a school that is academically strong in reading and math relative to other Hennepin County elementary schools, serving a diverse student body in a community with low poverty rates. The parents considering this school can expect a high-performing academic environment in a mature, suburban setting where the housing market carries a significant premium. The softer science proficiency in fifth grade is the one area where a parent might want to seek more detail, but overall the school’s testing profile is a clear strength within its county context.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 81% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 82% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 67% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 68%

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

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 72% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 77% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 40% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolWAYZATA 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 4Lower-income50%Higher-income73%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income71%Higher-income91%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income88%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income75%25 pp gap