NCES CCD 2024-25 14 schools MN

Best-Resourced Schools in Forest Lake, MN

Compiled from official source data by .

14 public K-12 schools in Forest Lake from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

PlainSchools home → About this data
14
Schools
6,014
Students
33.8/100
Avg Resource Index
16.4:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Lean reported-resource profile

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Forest Lake has more public-school enrollment than 63% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Forest Lake's average Resource Investment Index falls in the lower portion of the 4,487-city comparison set. The index is a resource snapshot, not an academic grade: it reflects the federal staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance fields available for local campuses. The most useful next step is to open the individual schools below and identify which component is pulling each score down, because the same city average can hide very different campus-level constraints.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

6 of Forest Lake's 14 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Governance mix is central to a fair comparison

6 of 14 listed Forest Lake campuses are reported as charters, so district-run and charter records occupy substantial shares of the same city view. They may follow different governance, enrollment, and program structures even when their mailing city matches. The 56-point gap between Step and Forest Lake Area Middle School should be read within that context, not as a single-system league table. Check charter status and district affiliation before comparing two nearby schools, and verify current admissions rules with the operator.

City enrollment
Top 37%
School count
Top 25%
Resource Index average
21st percentile
Teacher staffing
39th percentile

Forest Lake Area High School accounts for 30.0% of all Forest Lake public-school enrollment

That dominant concentration means Forest Lake-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade level: High. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how districts allocate programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Forest Lake school enrollment varies 38× across entities

Forest Lake school enrollment ranges from 47 students (lowest) to 1,805 students (highest), a spread of 1,758 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, with small specialty programs listed alongside large comprehensive campuses. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Forest Lake student-teacher ratio is 16.4:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Forest Lake is typically wider than the Forest Lake-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

6 of Forest Lake's 14 listed schools are charters

43% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Step 68
2. Forest Lake Area Community School 55
3. Early Childhood Special Education 52
4. Forest Lake Elementary 39
5. North Lakes Academy Upper School 39
6. North Lakes Academy Middle School 37
7. Forest View Elementary 35
8. Columbus Elementary 33
9. Lila Lower School 25
10. Lila Upper School 23
11. Forest Lake Area High School 20
12. North Lakes Academy Elementary 20
13. Lila Kinder Center 15
14. Forest Lake Area Middle School 12

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Forest Lake

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Forest View Elementary 56.9/100
  2. 2 Forest Lake Elementary 51.9/100
  3. 3 Forest Lake Area Community School 47.6/100
  4. 4 Lila Lower School 45.9/100
  5. 5 Early Childhood Special Education 43.8/100

What do families ask about schools in Forest Lake?

Which Forest Lake school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Step has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Forest Lake schools in this federal-data comparison at 68/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Forest Lake, MN? ▼

Forest Lake has 14 public schools with a total enrollment of 6,014 students. 6 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 16.4:1.

Other Cities in Minnesota

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150 schools
Minneapolis
141 schools
Rochester
48 schools
Duluth
31 schools
Brooklyn Park
30 schools
Plymouth
27 schools

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Minnesota →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.