Springfield Secondary, Springfield MN

Original Research by School Decision on Springfield Secondary

Springfield Secondary serves grades seven through twelve as a regular public school within the Springfield Public School District, a small rural district in southern Minnesota. The school is located in the town of Springfield, an agricultural community in Brown County whose economy has long been tied to farming and, historically, brick manufacturing. The town’s civic institutions cluster along a historic Main Street and nearby Cass Avenue, and the school integrates into that downtown fabric rather than sitting apart.

The student body is relatively small for a combined middle and high school, and the vast majority of students are white. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that a substantial share of families face some economic pressure. This is a school community that, demographically, reflects the surrounding rural area with a modest Hispanic population and very small numbers of other racial and ethnic groups.

The school’s academic results show a split story. In seventh grade, a solid majority of students met state standards in both math and English language arts. Eighth grade results are markedly weaker, with fewer than a third of students meeting math standards and about a third meeting English language arts standards. Science testing in eighth grade produced a very low proficiency rate, though state testing officials flagged a change in the test and cut scores for science that year, so a parent may want to ask the school how that shift affected results and whether the numbers reflect a new baseline. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency index across tested grades and subjects sits above the midpoint when compared to other school districts in Brown County, but still behind the top of that field. There is no multi-year trend data—only a single year of testing is available—so it is not possible to tell from this record whether the drop between seventh and eighth grade is a persistent pattern or a one-year event.

One notable strength in the broader district is that Springfield Elementary School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, a federal award for academic excellence. That recognition covers the elementary grades, not the secondary school, but it signals that the district has a tradition of strong performance at the lower level. The district also recently made a very large facilities investment, with major capital construction expenditures recorded in a recent fiscal year. That spending suggests the physical learning environment for these grades may see upgrades.

What is missing from the available data may matter to some families. There is no reported information on disciplinary incidents, course access or Advanced Placement offerings, or staffing ratios. The graduation rate for the school was not reported in the data provided. A parent considering this school would want to ask directly about high school course options, dual-credit or career and technical education pathways, the graduation rate, and how the school supports students who struggle academically, especially given the sharp drop in eighth grade results.

Springfield is a slow-growth or stable rural community, and the school is the kind of place where a family will likely find a familiar, small-town environment. The academic picture is mixed, with a strong seventh grade performance and a real soft spot in eighth grade science and math that warrants a conversation with the school. For families who value a small setting and a district that has invested in its facilities and shown elementary-level success, it may be a good fit, but the secondary outcomes and program breadth are questions worth exploring before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-89%Cohort of 45 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

649 schools plotted. 88 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 33 pts above state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 4 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 29 pts above state median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 3 pts below state median

This schoolSPRINGFIELD 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 7Lower-income58%Higher-income69%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income32%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income63%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income32%6 pp gap