FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT operates 12 public schools serving 5,855 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 other, 2 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 5,738 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Washington County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,719 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 33.9% local, 56.4% state, and 9.7% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $78,094 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 36/100, ranked #303 of 417 in Minnesota against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 12 schools offering Advanced Placement (29 AP courses district-wide), a 355.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 30.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.4% White, 7.1% Asian, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Forest Lake Area High School accounts for 31.5% of all FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. 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 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT school enrollment varies 38× across entities
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 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 enrollment heterogeneity — the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT student-counselor ratio is 355:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT chronic absenteeism rate is 30.1% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT?
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT has 12 schools, including 2 high, 1 middle, 8 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 5,855 students.
How much does FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT spend per student?
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT spends $17,719 per student. The district has an equity score of 36/100, ranking #303 in Minnesota.
What is the average teacher salary in FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The average teacher salary in FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT is $78,094 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Washington County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT?
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT students are 76.4% White, 7.1% Asian, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6% African American, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT?
FOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT has an equity score of 36/100, ranking #303 out of 417 districts in Minnesota. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.