Swwc Elc - Cosmos, Cosmos MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Swwc Elc - Cosmos

SWWC ELC - Cosmos is a special education school located in the small rural town of Cosmos, Minnesota, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade. It operates under the Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Cooperative, a regional entity that provides specialized educational services to member districts rather than functioning as a traditional school district. This means the school is not a neighborhood school that draws from a single attendance area; it is a placement for students with disabilities from multiple communities.

Cosmos itself is a very small, mainly residential town in Meeker County, set in Minnesota farming and prairie country about an hour west of the Twin Cities. It is known for its space-themed street names and an annual Cosmos Space Festival each July. The town’s population has been stable to slightly declining over recent decades, and its economy is rooted in agriculture and small businesses. Housing values in the area are modest, well below state and national medians, making it a relatively affordable place to live. The Luce Line Trail, a state trail running from Cosmos east toward Minneapolis, provides a recreational amenity.

The school’s enrollment is small, with students spread across all grade levels from kindergarten through 12th grade. A substantial share of students come from low-income households, as reflected in free or reduced-price meal eligibility. The student body is predominantly white, with notable shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races; small numbers of American Indian students are also represented.

Because SWWC ELC is a special education school, its state standardized test results require careful interpretation. The school serves students with significant disabilities, many of whom take alternate assessments. For the most recent testing year, proficiency rates in both math and reading for grades 3 through 8 were at zero percent among the small number of students who took the standard assessments. Science results for grades 5 and 8 were suppressed due to small group sizes. When compared to regular districts in Meeker County on an overall proficiency index, this school falls in the bottom quartile, but that comparison is not meaningful given the specialized population it serves. A parent considering this school should ask directly about how student progress is measured, what alternative assessments are used, and what individual growth metrics the school tracks. Graduation rate data was not available for this school, which is common for alternative and special education schools that may use different completion pathways.

The school’s small size likely allows for intensive individualized attention and specialized supports. The district brief notes that the service cooperative has seen several programs marked inactive in the state directory, including its online academy and multiple learning centers in other locations. This indicates a reduction in some alternative offerings the cooperative previously provided, though the impact on the Cosmos site is not specified from the data available.

Overall, this is a specialized placement, not a typical neighborhood school. The academic data from state tests will not reflect what most families expect from a mainstream school. The school’s value lies in its focused mission for students with disabilities, small setting, and regional access. Parents should visit the school, speak with staff about individualized education plans, transition services, and how the school measures student growth beyond the state test.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 5 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

649 schools plotted. 88 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 10% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 55 pts below state median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 11% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 20% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 31% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 15% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 6% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 15% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 11% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 10% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 15% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 20% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 13% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median

This schoolRegion 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop, 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.