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.
14 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Forest Lake's 14 public schools is Forest Lake Area High School, scoring 20/100, against a city average of 33.8/100. Computed live across every Forest Lake campus reporting to NCES.
How the Forest Lake Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Forest Lake, MN enrolls 6,014 students across 14 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 6 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 16.4:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 33.8/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Forest Lake on this index is Forest Lake Area High School, at 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,805 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Forest Lake spans 3 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
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 dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
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, small specialty programs sit alongside large comprehensive campuses, often serving very different family demographics inside walking distance. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Forest Lake student-teacher ratio is 16.4:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — aligned with the U.S. average of approximately 15.7:1
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.
Forest Lake has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 42.9% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options
charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Areas above 30% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic charter school authorisation formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
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.
The highest-ranked school in Forest Lake is Forest Lake Area High School with a quality score of 20/100. There are 14 public schools in Forest Lake with 6,014 total students.
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.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
