Waite Park Elementary

Summary:

Waite Park Elementary is a public elementary school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving 274 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. This school consistently outperforms the Minneapolis Public School District and the state of Minnesota in academic achievement, ranking in the top 15% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Waite Park Elementary has a diverse student population, with a significant percentage of White (62.41%), African American (8.39%), Hispanic (8.39%), and students of two or more races (16.06%). The school's academic performance is exceptional, with 72.5% of students proficient or better in Math, 65.83% in Reading, and 58.14% in Science - far surpassing the district and state averages. Waite Park's student-teacher ratio is also relatively low, ranging from 14 to 15.6 students per teacher, which may contribute to its academic success.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Highland Elementary and Pillsbury Elementary, Waite Park stands out as a high-performing school. It significantly outperforms these neighboring schools in standardized test scores and has a much higher statewide ranking, placing it in the top 15% of Minnesota elementary schools compared to the bottom 10-15% for the nearby schools. Waite Park's diverse student population and lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students also set it apart from its neighbors.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1800 34th Ave NE
       Minneapolis, MN  55418-8888


(612) 668-1600

District: Minneapolis Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
129th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,491 Help


Students who attend Waite Park Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Northeast Middle
High:    Edison High

Student/teacher ratio:  15.6 Help
Number of students:  274

Racial breakdown:

White:
62.4%
Two or more races:
16.1%
African American:
8.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  30.7% Help


 See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

 Compare Waite Park Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Waite Park Elementary ranks better than 85.4% of elementary schools in Minnesota. It also ranks 5th among 29 ranked elementary schools in the Minneapolis Public School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.31. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (62.4%), two or more races (16.1%), African American (8.4%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 30.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Waite Park Elementary is 15.6. 21 elementary schools in the Minneapolis Public School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Waite Park Elementary employs 17.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Waite Park Elementary is $13,491. 25 elementary schools in the Minneapolis Public School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Waite Park Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Waite Park Elementary 129th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Waite Park Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Minneapolis Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Minneapolis Public School District 322nd of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Waite Park Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Waite Park Elementary?

Rank History for Waite Park Elementary

Help
Compare

Rank History for all students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 43.11 475th 674 29.5%
2004 16.89 611th 676 9.6%
2005 18.84 610th 685 10.9%
2006 27.72 657th 756 13.1%
2007 27.18 669th 777 13.9%
2008 18.58 698th 781 10.6%
2009 8.92 406th 434 6.5%
2010 22.20 698th 803 13.1%
2011 24.64 696th 814 14.5%
2012 35.75 653rd 820 20.4%
2013 33.76 639th 824 22.5%
2014 40.59 587th 826 28.9%
2015 47.77 537th 840 36.1%
2016 45.30 557th 848 34.3%
2017 58.49 413th 853 51.6%
2018 55.30 444th 847 47.6%
2019 57.11 448th 870 48.5%
2021 59.14 388th 869 55.4%
2022 64.33 332nd 858 61.3%
2023 79.19 151st 845 82.1%
2024 81.31 129th 881 85.4%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 52.12 88th 242 63.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 35.42 391st 572 31.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.09 480th 728 34.1%
2019 50.56 388th 740 47.6%
2021 27.00 537th 683 21.4%
2022 50.29 339th 663 48.9%
2023 58.35 319th 774 58.8%
2024 48.03 438th 793 44.8%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.77 361st 774 53.4%
2019 60.37 355th 787 54.9%
2021 74.48 169th 783 78.4%
2022 68.84 249th 799 68.8%
2023 78.13 144th 787 81.7%
2024 85.12 78th 809 90.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.24 473rd 779 39.3%
2019 50.55 461st 798 42.2%
2021 40.90 541st 784 31.0%
2022 53.80 412th 808 49.0%
2023 74.99 176th 799 78.0%
2024 73.22 195th 826 76.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.72 122nd 266 54.1%
2019 56.47 117th 283 58.7%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.53 25th 220 88.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Waite Park Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.53 138th 712 80.6%
2019 68.48 204th 722 71.7%
2021 73.71 144th 710 79.7%
2022 70.30 181st 725 75.0%
2023 91.07 17th 712 97.6%
2024 80.90 91st 730 87.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Waite Park Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Open Quote Great school! Amazing teachers, nice kids, solid programs. Extensive after school program with theatre, band, languages - it's wonderful. Excellent gifted and talented program as well. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Open Quote Waite Park School has great teachers that work hard to help students do their best. They have a good handle on discipline and classroom behavior, too. The students seem to feel comfortable, confident and welcomed into this school community! My 2 kids really love their school. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, February 9, 2009

Open Quote I think waite park is a great school with great teachers! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Waite Park Elementary

Help
Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 267 219 10 6 53 n/a n/a 0 555
1989 220 200 13 6 38 n/a n/a 0 477
1990 205 192 10 5 31 n/a n/a 0 443
1991 223 187 19 7 27 n/a n/a 0 463
1992 196 195 22 8 24 n/a n/a 0 445
1993 181 255 31 5 23 n/a n/a 0 495
1994 146 285 47 4 30 n/a n/a 0 512
1995 106 212 54 5 32 n/a n/a 0 409
1996 106 212 54 5 32 n/a n/a 0 409
1997 224 136 49 17 32 n/a n/a 0 458
1998 258 80 68 18 27 n/a n/a 0 451
1999 268 57 90 17 26 n/a n/a 0 458
2000 243 61 93 14 22 n/a n/a 0 433
2001 250 59 83 17 21 n/a n/a 0 430
2002 195 66 44 16 12 n/a n/a 0 333
2003 195 66 44 16 12 n/a n/a 0 333
2004 186 55 23 16 5 n/a n/a 0 285
2005 167 71 31 21 9 n/a n/a 0 299
2006 175 92 16 72 18 n/a n/a 0 373
2007 187 99 14 108 15 n/a n/a 0 423
2008 168 105 13 103 17 n/a n/a 0 406
2009 153 113 11 106 23 n/a n/a 0 406
2010 165 109 16 121 20 n/a n/a 0 431
2011 201 77 12 115 23 0 7 0 435
2012 224 98 14 80 22 1 6 0 445
2013 234 115 14 62 20 0 5 0 450
2014 228 99 14 63 15 0 5 0 424
2015 230 108 7 72 9 0 11 0 437
2016 242 94 7 66 12 0 22 0 443
2017 235 77 9 64 12 0 30 0 427
2018 225 86 9 56 11 0 38 0 425
2019 222 72 14 40 14 0 47 0 409
2020 207 69 16 37 9 0 63 0 401
2021 185 67 12 32 4 0 55 0 355
2022 167 22 3 32 7 0 43 0 274
2023 171 23 7 23 6 0 44 0 274

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Waite Park Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 555 33.4 16.6 64.7
1989 477 26.6 17.9 65.6
1990 443 22.6 19.6 71.3
1991 463 26.0 17.8 65.7
1992 445 30.7 14.4 75.5
1993 495 33.6 14.7 77.2
1994 512 32.9 15.6 80.1
1995 409 0.0 0.0 84.8
1996 409 0.0 0.0 84.8
1997 458 32.0 14.3 66.6
1998 451 n/a 0.0 58.8
1999 458 34.6 13.2 47.6
2000 433 31.0 14.0 58.2
2001 430 29.6 14.5 53.7
2002 333 23.9 13.9 47.1
2003 333 23.9 13.9 47.1
2004 285 20.1 14.2 49.5
2005 299 17.4 17.2 55.9
2006 373 17.8 21.0 64.6
2007 423 19.8 21.4 66.7
2008 406 22.2 18.3 68.2
2009 406 22.7 17.9 70.2
2010 431 25.6 16.8 68.7
2011 435 27.4 15.8 62.8
2012 445 27.7 16.0 62.2
2013 450 25.0 17.9 61.1
2014 424 25.2 16.8 55.4
2015 437 27.0 16.1 54.9
2016 443 27.0 16.4 54.9
2017 427 26.8 15.9 49.9
2018 425 26.9 15.7 47.3
2019 409 23.9 17.0 44.7
2020 401 24.2 16.5 43.1
2021 355 23.3 15.2 32.7
2022 274 19.5 14.0 24.5
2023 274 17.5 15.6 30.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Waite Park Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 555 33.4 16.6 64.7
1989 477 26.6 17.9 65.6
1990 443 22.6 19.6 71.3
1991 463 26.0 17.8 65.7
1992 445 30.7 14.4 75.5
1993 495 33.6 14.7 77.2
1994 512 32.9 15.6 80.1
1995 409 0.0 0.0 84.8
1996 409 0.0 0.0 84.8
1997 458 32.0 14.3 66.6
1998 451 n/a 0.0 58.8
1999 458 34.6 13.2 47.6
2000 433 31.0 14.0 58.2
2001 430 29.6 14.5 53.7
2002 333 23.9 13.9 47.1
2003 333 23.9 13.9 47.1
2004 285 20.1 14.2 49.5
2005 299 17.4 17.2 55.9
2006 373 17.8 21.0 64.6
2007 423 19.8 21.4 66.7
2008 406 22.2 18.3 68.2
2009 406 22.7 17.9 70.2
2010 431 25.6 16.8 68.7
2011 435 27.4 15.8 62.8
2012 445 27.7 16.0 62.2
2013 450 25.0 17.9 61.1
2014 424 25.2 16.8 55.4
2015 437 27.0 16.1 54.9
2016 443 27.0 16.4 54.9
2017 427 26.8 15.9 49.9
2018 425 26.9 15.7 47.3
2019 409 23.9 17.0 44.7
2020 401 24.2 16.5 43.1
2021 355 23.3 15.2 32.7
2022 274 19.5 14.0 24.5
2023 274 17.5 15.6 30.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Waite Park Elementary

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $13,491

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Waite Park Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 448th of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 151st of 845 Elementary schools
 33.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Waite Park Elementary)62.771.1
 8.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Minneapolis Public School District)51.846.4
 5.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Waite Park Elementary)53.362.2
 8.9%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minneapolis Public School District)45.942.2
 3.7%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Waite Park Elementary)50.779
 28.2%
   4th Grade Math (Minneapolis Public School District)48.243.9
 4.3%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Waite Park Elementary)46.468.4
 22%
   4th Grade Reading (Minneapolis Public School District)4442.4
 1.6%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%
5th Grade Math (Waite Park Elementary)68.852.9
 15.8%
   5th Grade Math (Minneapolis Public School District)40.328
 12.3%
   5th Grade Math (Minnesota)5244.4
 7.6%
5th Grade Reading (Waite Park Elementary)8066.7
 13.3%
   5th Grade Reading (Minneapolis Public School District)53.444.9
 8.4%
   5th Grade Reading (Minnesota)65.858.7
 7%
5th Grade Science (Waite Park Elementary)59.458.8
 0.6%
   5th Grade Science (Minneapolis Public School District)40.836.1
 4.8%
   5th Grade Science (Minnesota)54.948.4
 6.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students409274
 33%
African American7223
 68.1%
American Indian146
 57.1%
Asian147
 50%
Hispanic4023
 42.5%
Pacific Islander00
White222171
 23%
Two or More Races4744
 6.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients44.7%30.7%
 14.1%


Schools Near Waite Park Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Waite Park Elementary

In the 2022-23 school year, 274 students attended Waite Park Elementary.

Waite Park Elementary ranks 129th of 881 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Waite Park Elementary are 62% White, 16% Two or more races, 8% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

Students who attend Waite Park Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northeast Middle
High : Edison High


Rate Waite Park Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Waite Park Elementary!




SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 75 milliseconds.