Summary:
The Waseca Public School District includes two middle-level schools serving roughly 660 students in grades 4 through 8: Waseca Intermediate School for grades 4–6 (380 students) and Waseca Junior High for grades 7–8 (280 students). The district overall is rated 2 stars, ranking 270th of 458 Minnesota districts, at the 41st percentile. Test results below are reported as percent proficient on MCA exams for 2025–2026 and 2024–2025. Since the two schools serve different grade levels, they are best understood as complementary rather than direct peers.
Waseca Junior High is the standout of the two. It is rated 4 stars in 2025–2026, ranking 146th of 546 schools (73rd percentile), up from 198th of 545 (64th percentile, 3 stars) in 2023–2024 and 170th of 519 (67th percentile, 3 stars) in 2024–2025. Its all-grade Math proficiency is 45.6%, above the district's 37.5% and slightly above the state's 44.9%, while Reading is 46.5%, above the district's 42.3% but below the state's 48.6%. Grade-level results beat the state in 7th Math (43.0% vs 40.3%), 8th Math (48.4% vs 42.3%), and 8th Science (18.3% vs 16.7%). It improved year over year in Math (+3.81 points), Reading (+0.81), and Science (+6.45).
Waseca Intermediate School is the area of concern, falling below the state in every reported all-grade subject: Math 34.7% vs 44.9%, Reading 43.7% vs 48.6%, and Science 14.3% vs 25.5%. It also declined in all three subjects year over year, with Science dropping 9.4 points to 14.3%. Weak spots include 5th Math (26.5% vs 41.9%) and 4th Reading (34.2% vs 48.8%), though 6th-grade Reading at 51.1% is only 2.3 points below the state. Notably, its smaller student-teacher ratio of 12.7 comes with lower proficiency, while Waseca Junior High's larger ratio of 18.2 pairs with higher and improving results. The district's 2-star rating masks this split middle-level picture.
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