Is Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Jefferson Elementary ranks 504 th of 881 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 624 students attended Jefferson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary?

Students at Jefferson Elementary are 86% White, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually go on to attend: High : New Ulm High School

Jefferson Elementary

Summary:

Jefferson Elementary is a public elementary school located in New Ulm, Minnesota, serving grades 1-4 with a total enrollment of 619 students. The school is part of the New Ulm Public School District, which is ranked 83 out of 463 districts in Minnesota and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in math, where 57.48% of all grades were proficient or better in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 45.47%. However, the school has a significantly higher percentage of white students (87.72%) compared to nearby schools, which have more diverse student populations. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 25.43% in 2021-2022 to 40.23% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of students from lower-income families.

When compared to nearby schools, Jefferson Elementary's performance varies. While it outperforms the state average in math, schools like Lk Crystal Wellcome Memorial Elementary and Nicollet Elementary School outperform Jefferson Elementary in both math and reading proficiency. Additionally, the school's statewide ranking has been declining over the years, from 593 out of 870 Minnesota elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 504 out of 881 in 2023-2024, suggesting the school may be struggling to keep pace with improvements in other schools across the state.

Detail:

Public 1-4

318 S Payne St
New Ulm, MN 56073-8888

(507) 233-3500

District: New Ulm Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
504^th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,386

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually attend:

High:

New Ulm High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.6

Number of students: 624

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.2%

Hispanic:

9.6%

Two or more races:

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 42.6%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Jefferson Elementary ranks worse than 57.2% of elementary schools in Minnesota. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.91. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (86.2%), Hispanic (9.6%), two or more races (2.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 42.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary is 12.6. (See more...)

Compare Jefferson Elementary employs 49.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jefferson Elementary is $12,386.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jefferson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Elementary 504^th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Jefferson 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:

Hispanic students:

White students:

New Ulm Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks New Ulm Public School District 83^rd of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Jefferson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2017	41.18	590^th	853	30.8%
2018	40.10	594^th	847	29.9%
2019	42.01	593^rd	870	31.8%
2021	41.64	589^th	869	32.2%
2022	40.57	584^th	858	31.9%
2023	43.20	548^th	845	35.1%
2024	48.91	504^th	881	42.8%

See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	19.37	391^st	463	15.6%
2019	26.56	404^th	515	21.6%
2021	43.45	251^st	417	39.8%
2022	47.30	270^th	500	46.0%
2023	33.24	380^th	524	27.5%
2024	40.81	349^th	572	39.0%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	48.72	421^st	728	42.2%
2019	56.75	321^st	740	56.6%
2021	34.97	481^st	683	29.6%
2022	47.47	356^th	663	46.3%
2023	49.43	410^th	774	47.0%
2024	49.32	426^th	793	46.3%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	45.33	509^th	774	34.2%
2019	53.18	454^th	787	42.3%
2021	31.37	598^th	783	23.6%
2022	34.19	577^th	799	27.8%
2023	49.61	447^th	787	43.2%
2024	52.87	423^rd	809	47.7%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	34.71	586^th	779	24.8%
2019	32.37	610^th	798	23.6%
2021	49.46	459^th	784	41.5%
2022	44.88	522^nd	808	35.4%
2023	35.53	568^th	799	28.9%
2024	43.66	517^th	826	37.4%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	82.09	23^rd	214	89.3%
2024	64.73	62^nd	249	75.1%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Jefferson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	16.65	666^th	712	6.5%
2019	16.33	674^th	722	6.6%
2021	21.69	637^th	710	10.3%
2022	16.53	677^th	725	6.6%
2023	17.60	651^st	712	8.6%
2024	27.78	588^th	730	19.5%

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.

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Jefferson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	622	1	4	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	630
1989	628	0	3	5	3	n/a	n/a	0	639
1990	646	1	5	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	659
1991	644	0	7	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	660
1992	655	0	8	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	672
1993	665	7	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	674
1994	647	5	4	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	656
1995	665	17	4	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	688
1996	665	17	4	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	688
1997	643	11	2	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	660
1998	722	16	1	3	3	n/a	n/a	12	757
1999	674	3	1	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	697
2000	641	3	0	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	656
2001	606	4	1	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	626
2002	559	2	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	574
2003	559	2	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	574
2004	546	3	7	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	576
2005	572	4	8	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	595
2006	582	4	9	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	606
2007	591	5	10	19	3	n/a	n/a	0	628
2008	593	5	6	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	623
2009	603	7	8	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	647
2010	587	4	4	27	0	n/a	n/a	0	622
2011	575	4	6	34	0	0	1	0	620
2012	557	1	3	31	0	0	4	0	596
2013	552	7	2	35	0	0	7	0	603
2014	572	5	3	28	0	0	8	0	616
2015	603	8	2	46	0	0	10	0	669
2016	614	8	2	41	0	0	16	0	681
2017	587	7	2	37	0	0	21	0	654
2018	567	10	3	37	1	0	17	0	635
2019	551	8	0	31	0	0	16	0	606
2020	545	5	2	27	0	0	19	0	598
2021	539	5	2	43	0	0	13	0	602
2022	526	3	3	38	0	0	12	0	582
2023	543	5	1	56	0	0	14	0	619
2024	538	4	4	60	0	0	18	0	624

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 Jefferson Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	630	33.2	18.9	15.6
1989	639	33.9	18.8	15.3
1990	659	33.8	19.4	12.9
1991	660	31.7	20.8	12.9
1992	672	35.0	19.2	13.5
1993	674	38.0	17.7	12.8
1994	656	39.1	16.8	15.9
1995	688	42.0	16.4	13.8
1996	688	42.0	16.4	13.8
1997	660	42.2	15.6	12.4
1998	757	n/a	0.0	15.8
1999	697	51.5	13.5	15.8
2000	656	49.7	13.2	22.4
2001	626	43.2	14.5	22.2
2002	574	42.3	13.6	26.5
2003	574	42.3	13.6	26.5
2004	576	43.0	13.4	24.1
2005	595	41.3	14.4	24
2006	606	40.5	15.0	21.3
2007	628	42.6	14.7	25.2
2008	623	41.5	15.0	26.6
2009	647	45.3	14.3	32
2010	622	46.5	13.3	32.2
2011	620	45.4	13.6	31.8
2012	596	41.5	14.3	34.9
2013	603	40.9	14.7	38
2014	616	45.1	13.6	35.9
2015	669	49.0	13.6	37.4
2016	681	50.0	13.6	34.2
2017	654	46.5	14.0	32.3
2018	635	43.5	14.5	33.4
2019	606	46.5	13.0	31.4
2020	598	45.1	13.2	32.9
2021	602	46.9	12.8	31.2
2022	582	50.1	11.6	25.4
2023	619	46.1	13.4	40.2
2024	624	49.1	12.6	42.6

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 Jefferson Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	630	33.2	18.9	15.6
1989	639	33.9	18.8	15.3
1990	659	33.8	19.4	12.9
1991	660	31.7	20.8	12.9
1992	672	35.0	19.2	13.5
1993	674	38.0	17.7	12.8
1994	656	39.1	16.8	15.9
1995	688	42.0	16.4	13.8
1996	688	42.0	16.4	13.8
1997	660	42.2	15.6	12.4
1998	757	n/a	0.0	15.8
1999	697	51.5	13.5	15.8
2000	656	49.7	13.2	22.4
2001	626	43.2	14.5	22.2
2002	574	42.3	13.6	26.5
2003	574	42.3	13.6	26.5
2004	576	43.0	13.4	24.1
2005	595	41.3	14.4	24
2006	606	40.5	15.0	21.3
2007	628	42.6	14.7	25.2
2008	623	41.5	15.0	26.6
2009	647	45.3	14.3	32
2010	622	46.5	13.3	32.2
2011	620	45.4	13.6	31.8
2012	596	41.5	14.3	34.9
2013	603	40.9	14.7	38
2014	616	45.1	13.6	35.9
2015	669	49.0	13.6	37.4
2016	681	50.0	13.6	34.2
2017	654	46.5	14.0	32.3
2018	635	43.5	14.5	33.4
2019	606	46.5	13.0	31.4
2020	598	45.1	13.2	32.9
2021	602	46.9	12.8	31.2
2022	582	50.1	11.6	25.4
2023	619	46.1	13.4	40.2
2024	624	49.1	12.6	42.6

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 Jefferson Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$12,386

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Jefferson 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 593^rd of 870 Elementary schools	Ranks 548^th of 845 Elementary schools	3.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Jefferson Elementary)	65	60	5%
3rd Grade Math (New Ulm Public School District)	65	60	5%
3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)	65.6	59.1	6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Jefferson Elementary)	50	42.9	7.1%
3rd Grade Reading (New Ulm Public School District)	50	42.9	7.1%
3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)	54.6	47.4	7.2%
4th Grade Math (Jefferson Elementary)	50.9	47.8	3.1%
4th Grade Math (New Ulm Public School District)	50.9	47.8	3.1%
4th Grade Math (Minnesota)	63.9	57.1	6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Jefferson Elementary)	47.9	35	12.9%
4th Grade Reading (New Ulm Public School District)	47.9	35	12.9%
4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)	55.4	48.4	7.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	606	619	2.1%
African American	8	5	37.5%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	31	56	80.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	551	543	1.5%
Two or More Races	16	14	12.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	31.4%	40.2%	8.9%

Schools Near Jefferson Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCA-III Math (2024)					MCA-III Reading (2024)					MCA-III Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	MCA-III Science 5th Grade	MCA-III Science All Grades	Total
Jefferson Elementary	Public	1-4	318 S Payne St	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	New Ulm Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 233-3500	624	49	12.6	42.6%	538 (86.2%)	4 (0.6%)	60 (9.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.9%)	48.9	504^th of 881 public elementary schools	42.8%		43.2	548^th of 845 public elementary schools	35.1%	44	65.5	49.3			57.5	41.2	39.0			40.1			$12,386
River Bend Early Childhood Prog.	Public	PK	1315 S Broadway	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	River Bend Education District	No	No	No	No	(507) 359-8700	70	6	11.2	4.3%	54 (77.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (22.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Washington Learning Center	Public	PK-K	910 14th N St	New Ulm	56073	Brown County	New Ulm Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 233-8300	190	14	13.1	42.1%	161 (84.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (2.1%)								(n/a)													$18,074
Sleepy Eye Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	400 4th Ave SW	Sleepy Eye	56085	Brown County	Sleepy Eye Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 794-7905	349	26	13.5	49.3%	230 (65.9%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (33.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	53.6	450^th of 881 public elementary schools	48.9%		48.4	498^th of 845 public elementary schools	41.1%	48	50.0	53.9	52.9	43.5	49.7	44.7	43.6	50.0	45.7	45.9	51.4	51.4	$11,861
Nicollet Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1 Pine St	Nicollet	56074	Nicollet County	Nicollet Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 232-3411	163	12	13.1	27.6%	150 (92.0%)	4 (2.5%)	8 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.3	211^th of 881 public elementary schools	76.0%		53	441^st of 845 public elementary schools	47.8%	230	79.4	61.5	34.8	70.6	63.2	79.4	50.0	56.5	88.2	70.5	43.5	43.5	$12,920
Nicollet Early Childhood Special Educational	Public	PK	1 Pine St	Nicollet	56074	Nicollet County	Nicollet Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 232-3411	5	0			4 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$3,885
GFW Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	323 E 11th St	Gibbon	55335	Sibley County	GFW Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 207-2200	211	19	11.1	61.6%	152 (72.0%)	1 (0.5%)	47 (22.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.3%)	48.6	508^th of 881 public elementary schools	42.3%		60.1	367^th of 845 public elementary schools	56.6%	141	38.2	65.1			53.3	32.4	51.2			42.9			$13,422
Madelia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	121 E Main St	Madelia	56062	Watonwan County	Madelia Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 642-3234	344	27	12.9	56.4%	163 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	175 (50.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	37.1	600^th of 881 public elementary schools	31.9%		51.5	464^th of 845 public elementary schools	45.1%	136	46.5	37.8	21.4	37.0	35.8	48.8	15.6	52.4	43.5	39.8	42.9	42.9	$12,163
Lcwm Ecse	Public	PK	607 Knights Lane	Lake Crystal	56055	Blue Earth County	Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial	No	No	No	No	(507) 726-2323	14	0		57.1%	13 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$2,485
Lk Crystal Wellcome Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	502 E Watonwan St	Lake Crystal	56055	Blue Earth County	Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial	No	No	No	Yes	(507) 726-2320	432	39	11.1	31.0%	396 (91.7%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	86.1	77^th of 881 public elementary schools	91.3%		90.4	36^th of 845 public elementary schools	95.7%	41	90.0	94.0	66.2		83.5	61.4	75.6	66.2		68.1	51.3	51.3	$10,691

Jefferson Elementary

Jefferson Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

New Ulm Public School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary

Rank History for White students at Jefferson Elementary

Enrollment information for Jefferson Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Jefferson Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Jefferson Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Jefferson Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Jefferson Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Jefferson Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Elementary

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