Delano Intermediate School, Delano MN

Original Research by School Decision on Delano Intermediate School

Delano Intermediate School serves fourth through sixth graders in the Delano Public School District, a regular public school in a small exurban city about a half-hour drive west of Minneapolis. The school occupies a middle position in the district’s grade configuration, between the elementary and high school, and its enrollment falls in a moderate range for an intermediate school. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are Asian, Black, Hispanic, or of two or more races. About one in eight students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a low rate that reflects the community’s overall economic profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was missing from the available records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, the school posted solid results on Minnesota’s state assessments in the most recent testing year. In reading, strong majorities of students met proficiency standards at every grade level, with the highest share in sixth grade and a notably strong showing in fifth grade as well. Math proficiency was also at high levels across grades four through six, with a slight dip in fifth grade that still left a clear majority proficient. In science, tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was lower, though the assessment underwent a name change and a cut-score change that same year, which means the results may not be directly comparable to prior years or to other subjects. A parent looking for trends will find only a single year of data, so no pattern of improvement or decline can be discerned yet.

When placed alongside other districts in Wright County, Delano Intermediate School’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the top quarter of the county. That ranking gives a straightforward read: this school performs well relative to its regional peers, especially in reading and math. Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to examine, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the records provided.

The community that feeds into the school, Delano itself, is a growing small city that has expanded steadily over recent decades while trying to preserve a small-town atmosphere. The city promotes what it calls one of the lowest tax rates in Minnesota, and the school system is frequently cited as a primary reason families move there. Locally, the schools have received recognition in national rankings. The town’s historic downtown sits along the South Fork of the Crow River, and it hosts Minnesota’s oldest and largest Fourth of July celebration, an event that draws many visitors and is organized by a coalition of local civic clubs. US Highway 12 runs through Delano as the main route, and some residents likely commute to the metro for work; no specific major employers were named in available sources, though the school district itself is a substantial local employer. Housing values in the area are above the national average, reflecting the desirability of the location and the quality of the schools.

The district brief turned up no major recent changes or initiatives that would alter the day-to-day experience for families, so the school’s current profile appears stable.

For a parent weighing this school, the picture is straightforward. Academic proficiency is strong in core subjects, and the school’s performance is among the better ones in Wright County. The student body has a low poverty rate, and the community is an exurban suburb that is growing but still small. The school does not have some of the data points that parents often look for, such as chronic absenteeism or special education enrollment rates, so a follow-up conversation with the school would be wise if those matter. But on the evidence at hand, Delano Intermediate School offers a high-performing academic setting in a community that values its schools and its small-town character.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 683%

School 83% · District 83%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

This schoolDELANO 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 4Lower-income41%Higher-income72%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income83%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income87%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income80%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income73%Higher-income77%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income79%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income70%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income79%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income93%37 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income77%Higher-income89%12 pp gap