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Cottage Grove Middle School

Q: Is Cottage Grove Middle School a good school?

Cottage Grove Middle School ranks 279 th of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

279^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 49% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

Cottage Grove Middle School is a grades 6–8 school serving 1,005 students in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, part of South Washington County Schools. The district ranks 144 of 458 in Minnesota (69th percentile, 3 stars), while the school itself ranked 279 of 546 schools in 2025–2026 — the 49th percentile with 2 stars, below its own district's standing. That's a notable slide: in 2015–2016 the school sat in the 86th percentile with 4 stars.

Recent test scores trail both district and state averages in every tested subject. Math proficiency is 31.6% (district 51.6%, state 44.9%), reading is 44.3% (district 52.5%, state 48.6%), and science is just 14.2% (district 27.2%, state 25.5%). Among the three same-district middle schools in the data, Cottage Grove is the lowest-ranked: Lake Middle School is 96th percentile, Woodbury Middle School 75th, and Oltman Middle School 61st. Hastings Middle School looks like the closest benchmark — a similar free/reduced lunch rate, a similar student-teacher ratio, and a nearly identical rank percentile — yet it posts higher scores in all three subjects.

There are positives. Seventh-grade reading is 46.9%, above the state's 43.5% and close to the district's 47.7%. The student-teacher ratio improved from 24.3 to 16.2, and the free/reduced lunch rate fell from 33.33% to 27.66%. The school's subgroup-effectiveness rankings — which measure how well it serves particular student groups compared with schools statewide — are above median for Native American, Hispanic, African American, and special education students, but below median for English language learner and Asian students; ELL effectiveness fell sharply from the 69th percentile in 2023–24 to the 16th in 2025–26. Because these rankings can shift when groups are small, they're worth watching over several years.

1,005

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,834

Per pupil spending ?

27.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

9775 Indian Blvd S
Cottage Grove, MN 55016-3651

(651) 425-6804

District: South Washington County Schools

Students who attend Cottage Grove Middle School usually attend:

High:

Park High School

Feeder schools for Cottage Grove Middle School:

Elementary:	Armstrong Elementary
	Crestview Elementary
	Grey Cloud Elementary
	Hillside Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.8%

Hispanic:

11.8%

African American:

9.9%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare Cottage Grove Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2016 → 49th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 37 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg48%

Minnesota avg43%

279^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 38 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to bottom 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the South Washington County Schools

144^th of 458South Washington County Schools among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	279 of 546	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.2	247 of 519	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.3	247 of 545	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.3	231 of 529	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	191 of 520	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.4	209 of 521	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	167 of 533	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.0	97 of 518	81.3%	★★★★☆
2017	78.9	77 of 523	85.3%	★★★★☆
2016	79.4	69 of 508	86.4%	★★★★☆
2015	81.4	61 of 516	88.2%	★★★★☆
2014	78.5	70 of 490	85.7%	★★★★☆
2013	80.5	63 of 488	87.1%	★★★★☆
2012	72.8	110 of 469	76.5%	★★★★☆
2011	75.7	88 of 478	81.6%	★★★★☆
2010	71.7	105 of 454	76.9%	★★★★☆
2008	71.0	103 of 409	74.8%	★★★★☆
2007	78.1	59 of 403	85.4%	★★★★☆
2006	89.3	13 of 406	96.8%	★★★★★
2005	76.3	86 of 396	78.3%	★★★★☆
2004	61.3	184 of 387	52.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	81 of 185	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.0	59 of 169	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.1	33 of 179	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.3	20 of 164	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	22 of 162	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	55.3	57 of 141	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.1	44 of 148	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	26 of 137	81.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	90 of 112	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	74 of 106	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.5	87 of 111	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	79 of 116	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	65 of 110	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.9	50 of 87	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.1	54 of 112	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.4	36 of 108	66.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	142 of 170	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.1	70 of 153	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	49 of 158	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	50 of 133	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.8	60 of 130	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.2	23 of 120	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	11 of 109	89.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	267 of 467	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.0	245 of 450	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.3	257 of 474	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.9	241 of 455	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	218 of 467	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.7	216 of 443	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.2	188 of 439	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.0	80 of 436	81.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	57.2	69 of 195	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.9	68 of 175	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.0	76 of 186	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.4	95 of 178	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.3	66 of 188	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.8	56 of 156	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	30 of 171	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	67.8	31 of 163	81.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	251 of 458	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.9	239 of 432	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.1	251 of 473	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.5	213 of 459	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.8	224 of 404	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	232 of 399	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.7	188 of 415	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.1	133 of 401	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	257 of 483	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.3	223 of 452	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	209 of 479	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	196 of 464	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	165 of 476	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.5	169 of 437	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.7	144 of 454	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.0	119 of 438	72.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	67 of 124	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.6	63 of 113	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	67 of 116	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	83 of 107	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.2	62 of 131	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	46 of 97	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.9	71 of 120	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.1	56 of 114	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	9 of 62	85.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	140 of 296	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.9	159 of 265	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.5	102 of 307	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	93 of 298	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.0	79 of 288	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	67.3	51 of 260	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	57.3	114 of 282	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.5	149 of 253	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	267 of 435	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	257 of 415	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	225 of 440	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	220 of 436	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	192 of 438	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.8	209 of 422	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.2	185 of 428	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.3	105 of 428	75.5%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Native American (2026)85th percentile+37 vs school

Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+16 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)53rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)47th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)46th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)39th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2026)20th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)16th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading44%-4 vs state

Math32%-13 vs state

Science14%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottage Grove Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)						MCA-IV Science (2026)				MCA-III Math (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Cottage Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	9775 Indian Blvd S	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-6804	1,005	62	16.2	27.7%	601 (59.8%)	99 (9.9%)	119 (11.8%)	99 (9.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (8.6%)	48.9	279^th of 546 public middle schools	48.9%		51.2	247^th of 519 public middle schools	52.4%	32		42.6	46.9	43.6		44.3		14.2		14.2		29.3	32.5	33.0	31.6	$13,834
Oltman Middle School	Public	6-8	6625 Goodview Avenue	Cottage Grove	55016	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-3509	956	50	19.1	29.6%	542 (56.7%)	94 (9.8%)	95 (9.9%)	137 (14.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (8.9%)	58.5	212^th of 546 public middle schools	61.2%		54	226^th of 519 public middle schools	56.5%	14		49.7	39.2	46.1		45.2		14.2		14.2		44.5	38.9	42.0	41.9	$11,351
Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	3133 Pioneer Dr	Woodbury	55125	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-6404	1,165	49	23.5	12.4%	709 (60.9%)	105 (9.0%)	56 (4.8%)	212 (18.2%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (6.8%)	92	24^th of 546 public middle schools	95.6%		91.7	25^th of 519 public middle schools	95.2%	1		67.0	55.7	71.5		64.8		27.7		27.7		70.9	61.1	67.4	66.5	$11,268
Inver Grove Heights Middle	Public	6-8	8167 Cahill Ave E	Inver Grove Heights	55076	Dakota County	Inver Grove Heights Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 306-7200	817	44	18.6	49.4%	341 (41.7%)	106 (13.0%)	235 (28.8%)	40 (4.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (11.4%)	40.8	329^th of 546 public middle schools	39.7%		38.5	328^th of 519 public middle schools	36.8%	1		37.1	37.6	42.0		38.9		8.9		8.9		28.7	33.0	32.4	31.5	$12,547
Woodbury Middle School	Public	6-8	1425 School Dr	Woodbury	55125	Washington County	South Washington County Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 425-4501	1,160	49	23.8	24.2%	672 (57.9%)	124 (10.7%)	140 (12.1%)	123 (10.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (8.6%)	68	138^th of 546 public middle schools	74.7%		66.7	151^st of 519 public middle schools	70.9%	13		52.9	47.1	50.0		50.0		16.0		16.0		45.3	50.1	42.8	46.2	$11,011
Hastings Middle School	Public	5-8	1000 11th St W	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 480-7066	1,183	70	16.9	27.6%	968 (81.8%)	28 (2.4%)	85 (7.2%)	23 (1.9%)	7 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	70 (5.9%)	50.6	266^th of 546 public middle schools	51.3%		54.3	225^th of 519 public middle schools	56.6%	41	51.8	48.2	38.3	46.6		46.1	22.3	9.9		16.0	41.5	35.2	30.5	43.8	37.7	$11,309
HOA Middle School	Public	5-8	1000 11th St W	Hastings	55033	Dakota County	Hastings Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 480-7060	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
E-Stem Middle School	Public	6-8	600 Weir Drive	Woodbury	55125	Washington County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 744-2900	512	27	19.2	71.7%	60 (11.7%)	111 (21.7%)	79 (15.4%)	213 (41.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.0%)	16.3	470^th of 546 public middle schools	13.9%		17.5	446^th of 519 public middle schools	14.1%	24		27.1	17.0	29.3		24.4		10.1		10.1		11.4	12.0	17.2	13.4
Woodbury Leadership Academy Upper	Public, Charter	6-10	8147 Globe Dr	Woodbury	55125	Washington County	Woodbury Leadership Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 571-2100	220	0		24.1%	85 (38.6%)	43 (19.5%)	26 (11.8%)	45 (20.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (9.5%)	69.9	126^th of 546 public middle schools	76.9%					(n/a)		56.4	52.6	53.3	41.2	53.5		27.3	28.6	27.8		42.2	42.1	28.9	39.8
South St. Paul Middle School	Public	6-8	700 2nd St N	South Saint Paul	55075	Dakota County	South St. Paul Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 306-3659	535	48	11.2	64.7%	234 (43.7%)	53 (9.9%)	185 (34.6%)	19 (3.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.7%)	39.5	339^th of 546 public middle schools	37.9%		33	375^th of 519 public middle schools	27.7%	36		44.1	35.4	48.3		42.6		12.9		12.9		18.1	29.0	22.6	23.2

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottage Grove Middle School

How many students attend Cottage Grove Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,005 students attended Cottage Grove Middle School.

Is Cottage Grove Middle School a good school?

Cottage Grove Middle School ranks 279^th of 546 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cottage Grove Middle School?

Students at Cottage Grove Middle School are 60% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% African American, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Cottage Grove Middle School attend?

Students who attend Cottage Grove Middle School usually go on to attend Park High School

What district is Cottage Grove Middle School in?

South Washington County Schools

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.