Summary:
Cedar Mountain School District is a small Minnesota district with just two schools serving about 390 students in total: Cedar Mountain Elementary, which covers grades PK–5 with 171 students, and Cedar Mountain Middle/High School, which covers grades 6–12 with 219 students. The district ranks 252 of 458 in Minnesota, placing it at the 45th percentile with 2 stars.
Each school has a distinct strength. Elementary math is the clearest academic bright spot at 53.7% proficiency, above both the district (41.7%) and the state (44.9%), with 4th-grade math (56.7%) and 5th-grade math (45.8%) also above state averages. The middle/high school's standout results come in graduation and dropout: a 91.1% graduation rate versus 84.9% statewide and a 2.2% dropout rate versus 4.2% statewide — even though its test scores sit below state averages. That school also improved in all three subjects over the prior year, with reading up 12.91 points, science up 11.94 points, and math up 4.88 points, and its rank rose from the 14th to the 32nd percentile.
Two concerns stand out. Science is weak across the entire district — both schools sit near 17–18% proficiency against a state figure of 25.5%, and 8th-grade science is especially low at 7.1%. The elementary school also declined sharply, falling from 70th percentile and 4 stars to 46th percentile and 2 stars, with math dropping from 67.07% to 53.7% and reading from 53.66% to 43.9%; it still outperforms the state in math. Reading is below state at both schools (43.9% elementary and 43.3% middle/high versus 48.6%), though only modestly, and 11th-grade math at 12% is a major outlier. Because enrollment is small, year-to-year swings should be read with caution.
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