Cambridge Intermediate School, Cambridge MN

Original Research by School Decision on Cambridge Intermediate School

Cambridge Intermediate School serves third through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Cambridge-Isanti district. It is one of several school buildings in the city, positioned near the downtown core. The enrollment is moderate for an intermediate school, with three grade levels each roughly similar in size. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a working-class and middle-income mix.

State assessment results from the most recent year show that in mathematics, proficiency rates across the three grades are solid overall. More than half of third and fourth graders met state standards, while fifth grade proficiency dipped somewhat. This pattern is common in elementary math as content becomes more abstract. In English language arts, about half of students met standards in each tested grade, with fifth graders performing slightly better than third and fourth graders. Science is tested only in fifth grade, and proficiency there was lower, a point a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand how science instruction and curriculum are structured. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects places it in the top quarter of districts in Isanti County, which indicates that compared with other schools in the same county, Cambridge Intermediate performs above the local average. Because the school serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data to report.

Cambridge itself is a growing town and the county seat of Isanti County. It has a dense suburban character, with most residents owning homes and commuting by car. The median home value has seen modest annual increases. The city has been adding housing developments and apartment complexes to accommodate a rising population that has climbed notably over the past decade. The Rum River runs through the center of town, and several parks are scattered near the school. Major employers include the Cambridge Medical Center, the county government, retail, and the school district itself. The school is located in a residential area within the city, and the district operates a primary school for younger grades and a middle and high school for older students.

Information on special education and English learner enrollment was not available in the data, so the specific level of support for those populations is unclear. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported. No recent district-level changes were found in public sources that would affect families.

For a family looking at Cambridge Intermediate, the picture is of a stable, mainstream elementary school in a growing suburban town. Academically, math and reading performance is above the county average, though not uniformly high across all subjects. The community is car-oriented and expanding, which means more housing options and likely more families arriving in the district. The school’s size and grade configuration are typical for an intermediate school in this region, and its peer environment reflects the broader demographics of the Cambridge area. Parents who want to understand the lower science scores or the support available for students with disabilities may want to contact the school directly, as those details are not in the public record reviewed here.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 51% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 50% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 46% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 37% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 40% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 52% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 24% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

This schoolCAMBRIDGE-ISANTI PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income35%Higher-income56%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income60%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income61%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income70%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income70%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income58%14 pp gap