Win-e-mac Elementary, Erskine MN

Original Research by School Decision on Win-e-mac Elementary

Win-E-Mac Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the consolidated Win-E-Mac School District, which also includes the towns of McIntosh and Winger. The school sits in Erskine, a small rural town at the junction of two U.S. highways in Polk County. Erskine has a compact downtown and a population that has been declining over time, in line with many rural Minnesota communities. The town’s major employers include a telephone cooperative and a nursing home, and the area draws some recreational use from Cameron Lake and a nearby wildlife refuge. Housing values in the area are lower than the state median, which may appeal to families looking for a more affordable rural setting.

The school itself enrolls a comparatively small number of students. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, and other racial groups represented. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available in the provided information, so a parent may want to inquire directly with the school about these programs.

On state assessments, Win-E-Mac Elementary posted results that varied by grade level in the most recent testing year. In math, the share of students meeting state standards was solid across grades, with notably strong results in fourth grade. Performance in English language arts showed more range; one grade produced results that were lower, while sixth graders turned in a much stronger performance. Science results for fifth graders were available, and many students in that grade did not meet the state proficiency benchmark. A parent should note that the science test underwent changes that year, so those results should be interpreted with some caution. Compared with other school districts in Polk County, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it at the top end of the field, a strong showing relative to its immediate neighbors.

Because Win-E-Mac Elementary does not serve high school grades, no graduation rate is reported.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its grade range is limited to elementary and early middle school, so families with students beyond sixth grade will need to plan for the district’s upper-grade building. No data on program offerings, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism was available in the provided information, leaving gaps that a family may wish to explore through a school visit or conversation with the principal.

For families considering this area, the school’s academic profile is strongest in middle elementary math and in sixth-grade reading, while earlier elementary reading and fifth-grade science are areas where results were lower. The setting is rural and affordable, the district is small, and the school appears to be performing well in comparison to other districts in the county, particularly in math. A parent looking for a small-town elementary with solid math outcomes and a manageable class size environment would find this school worth a closer look, though they will want to learn more about the support structures for students who are not yet meeting reading and science benchmarks.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 39 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 34 pts above state median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 6 pts below state median

This schoolWIN-E-MAC 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 3Lower-income21%Higher-income31%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income48%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income71%46 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income83%Higher-income78%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income75%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income73%Higher-income86%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income67%42 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income75%Higher-income63%12 pp gap