The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Becker Intermediate Elementary
Becker Intermediate Elementary serves third through fifth grade students in the Becker Public School District, and for families considering this school, the first thing to understand is that the academic results present a mixed picture that deserves a close look. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile compared to other districts in Sherburne County, which is a genuine strength. However, that broad measure masks a steep drop as students move through the grade levels.
In math, the trajectory is telling. Proficiency rates are solid at third grade, then decline by fourth grade, and fall further by fifth grade. A parent might reasonably ask whether the curriculum grows more challenging in ways some students are not yet ready for, or whether the school’s approach shifts between the lower and upper elementary years. Reading scores follow a similar pattern: the third-grade rate is a clear strength, but fourth and fifth grade rates settle notably lower. Science results for fifth graders are a soft spot; the rate is well below the other subjects. The school changed its science assessment and cut scores in recent years, which makes direct year-over-year comparisons uncertain, but the current performance is the only data available. A parent may want to discuss how the school supports students as they encounter more complex material in the upper grades.
The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of students identifying as two or more races, Hispanic, Black, Asian, and American Indian. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school in a middle range economically compared to the broader region. Data on special education identification and English learner services was not available, so a parent with a child who might need those supports should ask the school directly about how those programs are staffed and delivered.
The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it serves only grades three through five. That means students arrive from Becker Primary School and move on to Becker Middle School. The Becker school buildings are part of a campus-style arrangement typical of exurban districts, and the district recently completed significant capital construction projects, which a family may notice in the quality of the facilities.
The town of Becker is a small exurban city roughly midway between Minneapolis and St. Cloud, oriented around the U.S. Highway 10 corridor. The dominant civic and economic fact is the Sherburne County Generating Station, a large coal-fired power plant that has historically supplied the bulk of the city’s tax base. That plant is scheduled to close by the end of the decade, and the city has already sought state aid in anticipation of the revenue loss. Microsoft purchased a large parcel of land in early 2024 to build a data center on a site previously planned for Google, which signals some economic transition, but the timing and scale of employment from that project remain uncertain. The housing market reflects the broader exurban pattern: home values are at a level that is comparable to the state average, and the community is car-dependent, with a highway-oriented commercial strip rather than a walkable downtown core.
The district itself invested heavily in school facilities in recent years, which is a concrete benefit for families using these buildings. That investment may matter more to a parent than the abstract district reputation. The larger question for a family considering Becker Intermediate is how the school addresses the academic slide between third and fifth grade, particularly in math and science, and whether the support structures match what a particular child needs. The school has genuine strengths in the early tested years, but the pattern of declining proficiency by fifth grade is one a thoughtful parent should investigate further with the school administration.
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