The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cromwell-wright Secondary
Cromwell-Wright Secondary is a small regular public school in the rural town of Cromwell, Minnesota, serving students in grades seven through twelve as part of the Cromwell-Wright Public Schools district. The school sits in a very small community of Carlton County, a town surrounded by lakes and outdoor trails but with limited commercial activity and a car-dependent layout. Most employed residents commute to nearby Cloquet or Duluth for work, and the town has seen only modest population growth in recent years. Housing values in the area are below typical Minnesota levels, which may be a factor for families considering a move here.
The student body is small for its grade band and overwhelmingly white, with small shares of students who are American Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, or of two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a moderate level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not provided.
State testing results for the 2024–25 school year are available for math, reading, and science at certain grade levels. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency was modest in seventh grade and lower in eighth grade. Reading proficiency was similar in range, with a somewhat higher share proficient in seventh grade than in eighth. Science results for eighth grade show that very few students reached the proficient level, a noticeably weaker area. Because only a single year of data is available, there is no trend to evaluate. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places this school among the lower-performing schools relative to other districts in Carlton County.
The school’s four-year graduation rate was not reported in the available data, so a family assessing that metric would need to seek it directly from the district. Chronic absenteeism data likewise were not available. Information on course offerings, such as Advanced Placement, dual-credit options, career and technical education pathways, or other academic programs, is absent from the data provided. That is a meaningful gap for parents evaluating this school’s secondary curriculum, especially for those concerned about college and career preparation. No discipline or staffing data were present either.
The district itself, Cromwell-Wright Public Schools, appears to have undergone no recent major referendum, tax shift, or curriculum change that surfaced in publicly available searches. The school building and the district are among the few civic anchors in the town, alongside Memorial Park and City Hall. The town’s character is quiet and rural, with no large employers and little pedestrian infrastructure.
For families, Cromwell-Wright Secondary offers a small, close-knit environment in a low-cost, rural setting. The academic performance on state assessments is below many county peers, especially in science, and the absence of program and outcome data makes it hard to gauge the full scope of what the school offers. Anyone considering this school should ask the district for specific information on graduation rates, advanced coursework, special education services, and student support resources — the available data leave many questions open.
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