The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Garlough Environmental Magnet
Garlough Environmental Magnet is a public elementary school in West St. Paul, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district. The school’s name signals a focus on environmental learning, though specific details of that curriculum were not available in the data provided.
West St. Paul is a first-ring suburb of Saint Paul, meaning it offers the density and convenience of a built-out community. The city has a mix of residential neighborhoods and a busy commercial corridor along Robert Street. There is no traditional downtown; daily life is oriented around that thoroughfare and major highways. The city has an established housing program aimed at keeping its diverse housing stock in good condition. Housing values in the area are near the midpoint of the state’s range, and rents have been rising modestly, consistent with regional trends. The city has parks, an indoor ice arena, a community swimming pool, and the Dodge Nature Center, which includes nature preserves. The school district recently renewed operating and technology levies, a signal of stable local funding for class sizes and student supports.
Garlough’s enrollment is moderate for a primary school. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. Hispanic students and White students each make up a substantial share of the enrollment, with a smaller but meaningful share of Black students, and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races. A significant majority of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a common measure of economic need in public schools. Data on the share of students who are English learners or who receive special education services was not available, a gap a parent may want to clarify with the school directly.
Because Garlough serves only grades K through 4, state testing results are limited to grades 3 and 4. The school’s overall performance on Minnesota’s state assessments, when combined across the tested grades and subjects, places above the midpoint relative to districts across Dakota County. This is a solid position, though it is worth putting into context. Proficiency rates represent the share of students meeting state standards, and at Garlough those rates are modest in both reading and math. In third-grade math, the share of students meeting the standard was somewhat below half; in fourth-grade math it was in a similar range. Reading proficiency rates were also moderate, with roughly similar proportions of third and fourth graders meeting the bar. These are not standout scores, but they are competitive within the county. A parent might want to ask the school how the environmental magnet theme is integrated into academic instruction and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. There is also no data available on chronic absenteeism or discipline, which means a complete picture of school climate and attendance patterns is not possible from this information alone.
Garlough Environmental Magnet is a neighborhood elementary school with a thematic focus, set in a stable, first-ring suburb. Its student body is economically and racially diverse. Academic performance is in the middle to upper-middle range among its county peers. For a family considering this school, the key questions are about the environmental program’s depth, how the school addresses the academic needs of a high-needs population, and whether the school’s overall climate aligns with their child’s needs.
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