Great Expectations

The data set provided focuses on a single elementary charter school, Great Expectations, located in Grand Marais, Minnesota, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of 136 students. While the school has some areas of strength, such as higher-than-average reading proficiency rates, it also struggles in several key metrics compared to the state average.

Academically, Great Expectations performs well in science, with 62.5% of students proficient compared to the state average of 39.56%. However, its math proficiency rates are consistently below the state average across all grade levels, ranging from 25% to 61.54% proficient, compared to the state average of 40.09% to 58.79%. In reading, the school fares better, with proficiency rates ranging from 25% to 90% across grade levels, compared to the state average of 44.58% to 57.45%. Despite these mixed academic results, the school's statewide ranking has declined over the past three years, from 632nd out of 858 elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 438th out of 881 in 2023-2024.

Demographically, Great Expectations has a predominantly white student population, with 83.82% of students identifying as white, and a relatively high percentage of students (38.97%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-income families. The school's student-teacher ratio of 11.3 is lower than the state average, suggesting a relatively small class size, which could be a strength that allows for more individualized attention and support for students.