The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fourth grade in Winona, part of the Winona Area Public School District. It sits in a city anchored by the Mississippi River and bluffs, home to two universities, a downtown commercial core, and major employers ranging from manufacturing headquarters to health care. The school itself is one of the district’s elementary buildings, and it will take on a larger role following a recent school board decision to close Goodview Elementary, with those students reassigned to Jefferson and another school. The district also secured renewed operating levies in a November 2024 vote, extending funding that supports ongoing programming.
State testing results for Jefferson are available for the 2024-25 school year, covering math and reading in grades three and four. In math, the share of students scoring proficient was above the midpoint among districts in Winona County overall—Jefferson’s combined proficiency index sits above the county median. In reading, proficiency was somewhat lower across both tested grades, though still within a range that many elementary schools in the region see. Because the school serves only early grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available.
The student body of about that size for an elementary school has a demographic mix that is majority white, with a substantial share of students who are Hispanic, Black, or of two or more races. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a notable proportion of families with lower household income. Housing in the zip code covering this part of Winona is priced below the statewide typical home value, and rents have risen sharply in recent years, meaning affordability is a consideration for families in the area. The neighborhood around the school blends residential blocks, university campus, and commercial corridors, and the school is walkable for those living nearby.
The data we have does not include counts of students with disabilities or English learners, but those populations are common in public schools at this grade level, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about how their child’s needs would be supported. Staffing ratios, disciplinary records, and attendance patterns were also not part of the available information, so no picture of those aspects can be drawn here.
Jefferson fits a family looking for a neighborhood elementary school within a district that is making deliberate adjustments to enrollment and finances. Its academic results are solid relative to other schools in the county, especially in math, though reading performance leaves room for growth. The community context offers cultural amenities—a summer Shakespeare festival, a marine art museum, historic districts, and river recreation—alongside the working economy of a small industrial and university city. The district brief notes a recent consolidation, which may affect bus routes, class sizes, and the mix of students in the coming years. None of that is unusual for an elementary school in a district managing long-term enrollment trends, and it gives a parent something to watch as they consider the fit.
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