Brookside Academy, Cambridge MN - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Brookside Academy

Brookside Academy is a special education school within the Cambridge-Isanti Public School District, serving students from kindergarten through grade 12. It is not a typical neighborhood school, and its purpose shapes every aspect of the experience a student and family will have here. The school’s small enrollment serves a student body where, according to available data, a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Because Brookside Academy is a special education school, its academic mission is centered on supporting students with specialized needs, and this is the lens through which everything else must be read.

State assessment data is reported for the school, but the results are either reported as zero percent proficient or suppressed, meaning the numbers are too small to report publicly. For science, the school’s grade-level testing groups were so small that the results were suppressed by the state to protect student privacy, and participation rates varied. Any academic proficiency measure from state tests will not provide a meaningful picture of what this school does. A parent would need to speak with the school directly about how it measures student progress, because the standard state accountability metrics are not designed to capture the work of a special education setting.

The student body is small and predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Black, and Hispanic. Enrollment across grade levels is uneven, with no students in kindergarten, grade six, or grade twelve at the time of reporting. Because the school serves a special education population across the full K-12 span, the peer environment is unlike a general education school; students are grouped based on their individualized education plans rather than typical age-based cohorts. The school does not have a graduation rate reported in the available data, which is common for special education schools where the completion pathway may not follow the standard four-year timeline.

The school is part of the Cambridge-Isanti Public School District, which serves the broader Cambridge area. Cambridge itself is the county seat of Isanti County and functions as a regional commercial and service hub. It has been growing rapidly, with a population increase from recent census counts that continued through 2024. The city is car-oriented, with a dense suburban feel and most residents owning their homes. The Cambridge Medical Center is a prominent employer, along with the Isanti County government and the school district itself. Housing values in the area are somewhat below the state benchmark, and rents are moderate relative to the national market. The district’s long-term plans did not surface publicly in available sources.

For a family considering Brookside Academy, the key question is fit. This is not a school where state test scores or college-going metrics will guide the decision. A parent should be prepared for a setting where the entire program is built around special education services, where the peer group is small and individualized, and where academic progress may look different from what is measured by standardized tests. The school’s location in a growing, car-dependent small city means that commuting and access to outside services are practical considerations. The absence of typical performance data is not a weakness of the school but a reflection of its specialized role; a family evaluating this place would need to rely on conversations with staff, observation of the program, and a clear understanding of how the school defines and tracks student growth.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 4 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 51% · ▼ 51 pts below district

▼ 55 pts below state median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 50% · ▼ 50 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 46% · ▼ 46 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 35% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 53% · ▼ 53 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 58% · ▼ 58 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 37% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 40% · ▼ 40 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 52% · ▼ 51 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 47% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 47% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 54% · ▼ 54 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below 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.