Best High Schools in Zip Code 55040

ZIP code 55040 in Cambridge, Minnesota is home to three high schools — Riverside Academy, Riverside Academy IS, and Moving Forward — all part of the Cambridge-Isanti Public School District. Two serve grades 9–12 and one serves grade 12 only. All three share the same street address, which indicates a single alternative-education campus housing multiple programs rather than three separate schools, and together they enroll just 97 students. Because the cohorts are so small (23–40 students each), a single student can move a graduation or dropout rate by several percentage points, so these numbers describe very small groups rather than stable rates.

The standout comparison is between the two Riverside programs, which share a campus, a grade span, similar enrollment, and similar poverty levels. Riverside Academy IS graduates 83.3% of its students with a 0.0% dropout rate — slightly above the district (81.0%) and close to the state (84.9%). Riverside Academy graduates 32.2% with a 25.8% dropout rate, and reports 0% proficiency in Math and Reading. Same site, similar student profile, opposite outcomes. Meanwhile Moving Forward serves grade 12 only, has the highest poverty indicator at 69.57%, and reports no graduation rate, no dropout rate, and no test scores at all.

Two cautions matter for families. First, the district's average performance (3 stars, 50th percentile statewide) masks a severe internal split — its 55040 campus contains both an above-state-average performer and one of the lowest-ranked schools in Minnesota. Second, data suppression is heavy: nine test cells across the group are withheld by the state to protect student privacy, including both of Riverside Academy IS's test cells, so its academic record is invisible even though its graduation outcome is strong. Outcome data (graduation and dropout) is the only reliable comparison here, and for Moving Forward even that is missing.