The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Caledonia Middle
Caledonia Middle School serves students in sixth through eighth grade in the Caledonia Public School District, located in the small city and county seat of Houston County, Minnesota. The city has a historic downtown district with a limestone courthouse, a historical museum complex, and nearby outdoor attractions like Beaver Creek Valley State Park and Root River bike trails. County government and the school district itself are significant local institutions. Housing values in the area fall below the state benchmark but above the national benchmark, though this data reflects the broader zip code and not the school’s attendance boundaries specifically.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is smaller for a middle school, with a student body that is overwhelmingly white. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the share of students with an Individualized Education Program and the share of English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how special populations are supported.
State assessment results are available for the most recent school year across reading, math, and science. In reading, performance varies by grade level. Sixth-grade proficiency is strong, with a majority of students meeting the state’s standard. Seventh-grade reading proficiency is lower, with about half of students meeting the bar, while eighth-grade reading sits between the two. In math, the overall picture across grades is similar. Proficiency rates in math hover around the midpoint for sixth and seventh grade, while eighth-grade math is somewhat stronger. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Houston County, which includes five districts total.
Science testing is administered only in eighth grade, and here the data draws attention. Proficiency is low, with a small share of students meeting the state standard. The assessment and its cut scores changed recently, which means the results are not directly comparable to prior years, but the current figure is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school.
The school serves only middle school grades, so there is no high school graduation rate to report. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was available in the data examined. A parent wondering about these areas would need to follow up with the school or district.
The district itself did not appear to have recent changes, such as referendums or curriculum shifts, that rise to the level of a material impact on a family’s decision in the near term. That may reflect a period of stability, or simply that such information was not found in publicly reported sources.
For a family considering Caledonia Middle, the takeaway is a small, largely homogeneous school setting where reading and math proficiency is generally around or above the local county average, with a notable gap in eighth-grade science that warrants a conversation with the school to understand supports and curriculum. The town offers a compact historic downtown and outdoor recreation nearby. The student body is small, which can mean more individual attention, but a parent will want to confirm that the school has the staffing and services to meet their child’s particular needs, especially given the missing data on special education and English learner populations.
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