1
What's the one class at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,005
Middle
DISTRICT 1,072 · STATE 495
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 273381002465
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
9775 INDIAN BLVD S, COTTAGE GROVE, MN 55016 · (651) 425-6804 · Washington County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,005 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 21% of Minnesota public middle schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public middle schools
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
62 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.7:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
278 students
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 328 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 364 | 36% |
| Grade 8 | 313 | 31% |
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
46.7%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
32.3%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MN schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
36.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.2%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 50% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (36.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 1,005 | 27.7% | 36.9% |
| WOODBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL WOODBURY | 1,160 | 24.2% | 42.5% |
| OLTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL COTTAGE GROVE | 956 | 29.6% | 37.5% |
| OLSON MIDDLE BLOOMINGTON | 762 | 26.4% | 50.0% |
| Oak-Land Middle School LAKE ELMO | 946 | 22.7% | 50.8% |
| SCOTT HIGHLANDS MIDDLE APPLE VALLEY | 1,228 | 29.1% | 47.4% |
Matched among Minnesota middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.9% | #155 of 245 | #10 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.3% | #169 of 245 | #11 of 12 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.7% | #140 of 245 | #8 of 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,005 | #38 of 306 | #4 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.3:1 | #90 of 210 | #2 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.2% | #73 of 216 | #6 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 27.7% | #178 of 252 | #6 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.0% | #38 of 129 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,005
+51 (+5%) vs 2020
-3% since 2000-01, when it was 1,041
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
was 43.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,005 | 61.8 | 16.3:1 | 28% (278) |
| 2023-24 | 972 | 59.2 | 16.4:1 | 31% (300) |
| 2022-23 | 924 | 37.9 | 24.4:1 | 33% (308) |
| 2020-21 | 954 | 22 | 43.4:1 | 21% (205) |
| 2017-18 | 1,225 | 71.3 | 17.2:1 | 22% (267) |
| 2015-16 | 1,183 | 68 | 17.4:1 | 25% (291) |
| 2010-11 | 1,094 | 63 | 17.4:1 | 18% (196) |
| 2000-01 | 1,041 | 51 | 20.4:1 | 10% (109) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (1,225 to 1,005); teachers down 13% (71.3 to 61.8).
About COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL is the name of a high-enrollment middle school in COTTAGE GROVE, Minnesota. The latest federal count shows 1,005 students in grades 6 through 8. Against the 495-student average for middle schools in Minnesota, enrollment here is 103% higher.
Federal data list 28 schools in South Washington County Schools, with 19,578 students enrolled.
At COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL, White students make up 60% of the student body. The next largest groups are 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 10% Asian, and 9% multiracial. The school's White share is 18 points below the 78% share among Washington County residents. The school's diversity index is 60%, meaning two students picked at random have a 60% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal data list 61.8 full-time-equivalent teachers at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL in 2024-25, for a ratio of 16.3:1. That is lower than the 17.5:1 average for middle schools in Minnesota. The lunch program counts 28% of students at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Washington County average 26%.
The allk12 Grade for COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL is C-. Compared with Minnesota public middle schools, the school scored higher than 21% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks in the bottom 10% of Minnesota schools after adjusting test results for student poverty. Actual: 36.9%. Predicted: 50.2%. Difference: 13.3 points.
Census Bureau estimates for Washington County show that the median household income is $115,345, roughly 49% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. There are 103 public schools in Washington County, enrolling about 46,313 students in all.
The nearest public school is GREY CLOUD ELEMENTARY, at about 0.2 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 6 nearby schools with scores, including this one, COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL is 4th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL's location as Suburb: Large.
Federal data show a 5% enrollment rise, from 954 in 2020-21 to 1,005 in 2024-25. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 43.4:1 in 2020-21 to 16.3:1 in 2024-25.
Community posts for COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
276,238
Census ACS
Median income
$115,345
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
103
46,313 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Washington County Schools
- EAST RIDGE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,072 students
- Park High SchoolHigh · 1,992 students
- Woodbury High SchoolHigh · 1,943 students
- LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,165 students
- WOODBURY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,160 students
- OLTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 956 students
Other schools in COTTAGE GROVE
- Park High SchoolHigh · 1,992 students
- OLTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 956 students
- GREY CLOUD ELEMENTARYElementary · 797 students
- Ages 3-5 Early Childhood Special EdElementary · 591 students
- PINE HILL ELEMENTARYElementary · 502 students
- COTTAGE GROVE ELEMENTARYElementary · 432 students
Nearby schools
- GREY CLOUD ELEMENTARY0.2 mi · 797
- Park High School1.8 mi · 1,992
- ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY1.8 mi · 325
- HILLSIDE ELEMENTARY1.9 mi · 417
- CRESTVIEW ELEMENTARY2.0 mi · 425
- Great Rivers Adult Education2.1 mi · 7
Frequently asked questions
About COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOLHow many students attend COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL?
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 1,005 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL is approximately 16.3:1 (62 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL?
At COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 60% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL in?
COTTAGE GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL is part of South Washington County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.