Cannon Falls Secondary, Cannon Falls MN

Original Research by School Decision on Cannon Falls Secondary

Cannon Falls Secondary serves grades six through twelve as a single building that houses the middle and high school years for this small southeastern Minnesota community. The school sits in Cannon Falls, a riverside town on Highway 52 roughly midway between Rochester and the Twin Cities, where a compact historic downtown, the Cannon Valley Trail, and the Cannon River give the place a recreational dimension. The district recently passed a bond referendum to fund facility improvements including security upgrades and classroom renovations, and it has also launched a Personalized Learning Academy for students in grades seven through twelve who need a non-traditional setting with flexible pathways.

Academically, the school’s performance on state assessments tells a story that varies by subject and grade. In mathematics, proficiency among sixth graders was around a quarter of students, while seventh graders reached above half and eighth graders above two-thirds. In English language arts, sixth graders scored below half proficient, while both seventh and eighth graders were around three-fifths proficient. Science testing in eighth grade showed a lower result, with about one in seven students reaching proficiency—though the science assessment underwent both a name change and a cut score change, making direct comparison with prior years uncertain. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades landed above the midpoint among the districts of Goodhue County, a cohort of nine districts. No multi-year trend is available because only the most recent year of data was reported, so a parent looking for trajectory will want to discuss this with the school.

The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students, a small number of students of two or more races, and very small representations of Asian, Black, and American Indian students. Roughly a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment is moderate for a school covering seven grades, with each grade level containing a similar number of students. No data was available on special education or English learner populations, chronic absenteeism, or discipline rates, so a parent interested in those areas should ask the school directly.

The community context matters for families weighing the area. Housing values in the Cannon Falls ZIP code are above the national median and have been rising, with an estimated monthly mortgage payment that is substantial relative to national median income. The town is described as a growing community with healthcare employers such as Mayo Clinic Health System and Olmsted Medical Center, plus cultural anchors like Pachyderm Studios. The historic downtown is walkable, with free parking, and the Cannon Valley Trail provides a paved corridor for biking and hiking. The mix of small-town character and highway access to larger cities shapes the peer environment: students come from a community that is largely residential and agricultural-service oriented, with limited but present commercial and tourism activity.

The district brief flags two parent-relevant changes. The 2023 bond referendum means that families in the district are paying increased property taxes in exchange for upgraded facilities. The Personalized Learning Academy offers an alternative for secondary students who do not thrive in a traditional classroom setting, which expands the range of options within the district.

Overall, Cannon Falls Secondary presents itself as a middle-of-the-pack performer within its county, with math and ELA results that strengthen from grade to grade, though science results are notably lower and the lack of trend data makes it hard to know if that is a one-year dip or a pattern. The school’s size is manageable, its demographics are not highly diverse, and the community it serves is small but growing, with a scenic setting and some commuter appeal. A parent considering this school may want to explore the Personalized Learning Academy if their child needs flexibility, and should follow up on the missing data points around special populations and attendance to get a fuller picture of student support.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

90-94%Cohort of 102 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

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 627%

School 27% · District 27%

even with state median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 33 pts above state median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 42 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Science

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 14%

▲ 2 pts above state median

This schoolCANNON FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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 6Lower-income35%Higher-income48%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income64%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income59%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income12%Higher-income32%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income80%Higher-income64%16 pp gap