The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Math. The lowest is 70% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Somerset Elementary
Somerset Elementary is a regular public school in Mendota Heights serving students in preschool through fourth grade and is part of the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district. The school enrolls a student body that is primarily white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Black, and Asian. About a quarter of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On the state’s Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, which are given in the spring to third and fourth graders, Somerset posted strong results that place it in the top tier of elementary schools in Dakota County. In math, roughly three-quarters of students in both grade levels scored proficient, and in reading about seven in ten reached that bar. These proficiency rates are comfortably above the median among its district peers across the county. Because the data available covers only a single testing year, there is no trend line to show whether performance is rising or slipping; a parent may want to ask the school how these results compare with prior years.
The school itself sits in Mendota Heights, a first-ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities that describes itself as having a small-town feel alongside big-city access. The city overlooks the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and features an extensive park system with regional trails, bluffs, and historic sites like Pilot Knob and nearby Fort Snelling. The built environment is car oriented, with Interstate 35E and state highways as main routes, and there is no traditional downtown district. Residential real estate is at a level slightly above the state benchmark, and rents are a modest share of income, suggesting a community where housing is accessible relative to local earnings. The population has seen a slight decline since the 2020 census, and no major new housing developments were identified in publicly available sources, signaling a stable, largely built-out suburb.
The school does not serve grades that take a state graduation accountability measure, so no graduation rate is reported. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism and special-population counts such as students on Individualized Education Programs or English learners were not available in the data provided; a parent may want to follow up with the district office for those details. No information on staffing ratios, discipline rates, or course access was provided either.
For a family considering this school, the picture is of a well-performing elementary in an established, amenity-rich suburb with a strong park system and stable housing market. The school’s test outcomes are a clear strength, and its size is moderate for a primary school. The student body is not highly diverse by race, though there is notable Hispanic enrollment, and the economic diversity is moderate. The district passed a capital projects technology levy and renewed an operating levy in 2021, which has provided stable funding for technology, class sizes, and student supports in recent years. Somerset is a school that appears to fit a family seeking solid academic fundamentals and a suburban setting with accessible outdoor recreation, while families wanting a more walkable downtown or a wider range of programming within the elementary years may want to explore what enrichment and support services are offered directly.
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