The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Community Middle
Community Middle serves students in grades six through eight in the Little Falls Community Schools district. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and it sits within a small city that developed along the Mississippi River. The school draws from a community where manufacturing, government, and nearby Camp Ripley provide the economic base, and where the surrounding area is a mix of agricultural land and lake country.
Academically, the school’s performance on Minnesota’s state assessments places it in the bottom quartile relative to the six districts in Morrison County. In math, across all three middle grades, the share of students scoring proficient is lower than what parents might hope to see. In English language arts, the picture is somewhat stronger but still below the midpoint among county districts. Eighth-grade science results are notably weak, with only a small proportion of students meeting the proficiency bar. Because the available assessment data covers only a single school year, there is no trend information to suggest whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism was not available for this profile.
Enrollment at Community Middle is in the mid-range for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a small representation of students who are two or more races, Hispanic, or Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic diversity. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not provided in the data.
The school operates in Little Falls, a city of modest size that functions as the county seat. The downtown area is walkable and historic, with a compact grid pattern and civic buildings near the Mississippi. Housing values in the area run below the state median, making homeownership more attainable than in many parts of Minnesota. The broader job market combines manufacturing (boats, metal products) with public-sector employment at the county, city, and school district, plus the military training facility just north of town. Population growth has been modest in recent decades, and the community maintains a character that blends historical preservation with small-town civic life.
For the district itself, a search for recent developments such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax changes turned up little of lasting parent-relevant impact. Families considering Community Middle will find a school that, on state testing, trails most of its county peers, particularly in math and science. The English language arts results are more mixed but still below the county median. The school provides a standard middle-school pathway without specialized programs documented in the data. The surrounding community offers a relatively affordable housing market and a stable, historically rooted small-city environment. A parent looking into the school may want to ask about academic supports and how the school is working to address the proficiency gaps that are visible in the assessment results.
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