The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 61% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Churchill Elementary
Churchill Elementary is a regular public school in Cloquet that serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is one of the elementary schools in the Cloquet Public School District. The school’s grade band means it does not have a graduation rate to report, and science assessment data is not available from recent years for a school that ends at fourth grade.
The school’s student body is diverse in composition. White students make up the majority, followed by a notable share of students who identify as two or more races. There is also a sizeable American Indian or Alaska Native population, which reflects the area’s location in a city that lies partly within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation. Hispanic and Black students are present in smaller numbers. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a meaningful proportion of families come from lower-income backgrounds. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available.
On state assessments for the most recent testing year, Churchill Elementary’s third graders performed at a level that was above the midpoint among its county's districts in overall proficiency, a pattern that also held when looking at the school’s performance across all tested grades and subjects. In third-grade math, a high share of students met proficiency standards. In third-grade reading, a majority also met those standards. Fourth-grade proficiency rates were lower in both math and reading, though math remained above the midpoint relative to other schools in the comparison set, while reading was closer to the middle of the range. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile among districts in Carlton County, which is a strong position for an elementary school in this region.
Cloquet itself is a small city with a distinct identity, nicknamed “Wood City” for its sawmill origins and known locally as a hockey town. It sits at the junction of Interstate 35 and State Highway 33, about a short drive southwest of Duluth, giving families access to the larger city’s urban amenities. The area’s largest employment sectors are health care, retail, and manufacturing. The economy is stable but not booming; the population has been slowly declining since the last census. Housing values in the area are below the state median, making it a relatively affordable market for families. The town has a traditional small downtown on Cloquet Avenue, a growing trail system, and recreational assets including the St. Louis River and proximity to the longest paved trail in the United States.
The school building is located on Granite Street in the residential fabric of the community. Because the district brief turned up little in the way of recent major changes or strategic initiatives, there is not much to report on that front; a parent might check with the district directly for updates on programming or facility plans.
Churchill Elementary’s profile fits a family looking for a solid academic start in a small-town environment where the school’s performance is comfortably above the local average, especially in the early primary years. The drop in proficiency from third to fourth grade is something a parent may want to look into further with the school, to understand how instruction or curriculum shifts between those years. The school’s size and grade span mean children will move on to another school in the district after fourth grade, something to factor into planning. For families who value a school community that reflects the area’s mix of white, Native American, and multiracial populations, Churchill offers that demographic character naturally.
See more original research from School Decision →