The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Math. The lowest is 24% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on C.e. Jacobson Elementary
C.E. Jacobson Elementary serves the Rush City community from prekindergarten through sixth grade. As the only elementary school in the Rush City Public School District, it delivers the foundational years for children in this small, north-country town. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
Rush City itself sits roughly an hour north of the Twin Cities along the I-35 corridor, in Chisago County. The town has a modest, stable population and a mixed economy anchored by a large industrial park, the state correctional facility, and a range of small-city employers from manufacturing to health care to tourism. The presence of the prison means a substantial share of the town’s residents live in group quarters, which shapes the community’s overall demographic profile. Housing values in the area are below the state median, though the national context shows climbing prices and mortgage rates that have been hovering in the mid-percent range. For a family considering the school, the local housing market is more affordable than many parts of the metro area, but the town is car-oriented and rural in feel, with a historic downtown and amenities like an aquatic center, a lake, and a golf course.
Academically, the picture at C.E. Jacobson is mixed. The school’s overall proficiency index sits just above the midpoint among districts in Chisago County, though it is not near the top of the group. The data shows performance varying noticeably by grade level and subject. In the most recent testing, the third-grade class turned in a strong reading proficiency rate, with well over half of students meeting the standard. In the same year, however, fourth-grade reading proficiency was much lower. In math, third graders also performed at a high level, but proficiency rates dropped in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with the sixth-grade math rate showing only about a third of students meeting the bar. Science results for fifth graders were the weakest area of the available data, with roughly a quarter of students proficient.
Because the school only goes through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to examine. The district as a whole operates the high school, and a parent considering C.E. Jacobson would eventually need to look at the secondary pathway in Rush City. The district brief turned up no recent major curriculum changes, referendum results, or leadership shifts, so the institutional context appears stable.
About two in five students at C.E. Jacobson qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that points to a substantial low-income population. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic, Asian, and two-or-more-races populations. The school is of a size that allows for a single elementary campus feeding into the district’s older grades. Special education and English learner counts were not available in the data, so a parent with a child who may need those services would want to ask the school directly about caseloads and staffing.
The school environment data is thin. No discipline records, attendance figures, or staff ratios were reported here. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing. Without that information, it is hard to assess the daily climate or whether the school struggles with student engagement. A parent may want to ask the principal about class sizes, the typical teacher experience level, and how the school tracks attendance.
Overall, C.E. Jacobson Elementary offers a mixed academic profile with some strong early-grade results and notable soft spots in middle-elementary math and reading. The community is small, affordable by regional standards, and feels distant from the metro area despite the highway connection. This is a school where a parent would want to investigate grade-level differences in performance and verify supports for students who are not yet proficient. The school itself is the feeder into Rush City’s secondary system, so any decision about it is also a choice about the district overall.
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