The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Waseca Intermediate School
Waseca Intermediate School serves grades four through six in the Waseca Public School District, a regular public school sitting within a small southern Minnesota city that functions as the county seat. The school occupies a single building on the north side of town, steps from residential neighborhoods and within a short distance of Clear Lake and the historic downtown along State Street. For families moving to the area or considering Waseca, this is the school their child would attend after leaving the elementary grades and before entering the junior high.
The student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic minority and a smaller share of students who identify with two or more races. Just over two in five students come from lower-income households, qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, which places the school in a moderate range of economic diversity for a public school its size. The school enrolls roughly a hundred students per grade, creating a scale where most teachers and staff can know students individually while still offering grade-level teams and some specialized instruction. The district did not report data on special education or English learner enrollment, so families with a child who receives those services may want to ask the school directly about staffing and caseload.
On state assessments for the 2024–25 school year, Waseca Intermediate showed a mixed academic picture. In math, about two out of every five students met proficiency standards across grades four, five, and six. Reading performance varied more noticeably by grade: grade four saw roughly two in five students proficient, grade five approached three in five, and grade six landed at about half. When looking at overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, the school ranked among the top quarter of districts in Waseca County, a positive relative position within this small four-district comparison set. The only science testing occurs in grade five, and there about one in four students reached proficiency. The state changed both the science assessment name and its cut scores that year, which makes direct comparison with prior results unreliable, but the figure itself is low enough that a parent may want to follow up with the school about science instruction and curriculum.
No trend data beyond a single year was available, so it is not possible to say whether performance has been improving, declining, or holding steady. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent policy changes or initiatives, suggesting a period of relative stability.
Housing in Waseca is considerably more affordable than the state average, with home values running below many Minnesota metro-area benchmarks. The city’s population has held mostly steady, with a slight recent decline, and the economy is anchored by a mix of healthcare, food processing, and a federal correctional facility. The downtown core is walkable, the city maintains multiple parks and lake access, and the school is well integrated into the community.
Waseca Intermediate fits a family looking for a small-town public school with a manageable class size, a moderately diverse student population by economic background, and academic performance that is solid relative to neighboring rural districts but with clear room for improvement in math and science. The reading results in fifth grade are a notable bright spot. Families who value a traditional school setting within a stable, established community will find this school appropriate. A parent who wants a deep understanding of special education supports, gifted programming, or extracurricular offerings at this grade level will need to request that information directly, as the available public data does not cover those areas.
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