Enrollment
1,805
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Forest Lake, MN
Forest Lake Area High School
Federal NCES profile for Forest Lake Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 271227000595
👥 S:T ratio 9
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Lake Area High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Forest Lake · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.8:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 18.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Lake Area High School has class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake Area High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Forest Lake, MN.
School address
District: Forest Lake Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271227000595 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Lake Area High School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Lake Area High School
Forest Lake Area High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Forest Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 1,805 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.8:1 is larger than about 89% of Minnesota schools and 44% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 18.0% free-meal eligibility runs 58% below the Minnesota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,805 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 67 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #59, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Asian (8%) (diversity index 37/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 29 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Forest Lake Public School District also operates Forest Lake Area Middle School (916 students) and Lino Lakes Elementary (501 students) alongside Forest Lake Area High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Forest Lake Area High School compares
Forest Lake Area High School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.8:1 | ▲ 44% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.0% | ▼ 58% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,805 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.8:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,805
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
18.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.8:1
students per teacher
- 44% above state mean
Top 89% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
44.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,685
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 125 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 78.7%
Asian 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.9, Forest Lake Area High School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Lake Public School District, which includes Forest Lake Area High School.
$13,685
Per student
-10%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.9%
State 56.4%
Federal 9.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Forest Lake Area High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lake Area Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lino Lakes Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wyoming Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Columbus Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Linwood Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Lake Area High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 501
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,805 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Lake Area High School's federal record.
- Compare Forest Lake Area High School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Lake Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Forest Lake Area High School
How many students attend Forest Lake Area High School?
Forest Lake Area High School has 1,805 students enrolled. It is a high school in Forest Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake Area High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Lake Area High School is 22.8:1, which is 44% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 45% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Lake Area High School?
18.0% of students at Forest Lake Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Lake Area High School?
The largest demographic group at Forest Lake Area High School is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Forest Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Lake Area High School?
Forest Lake Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest Lake Area High School rank among high schools in Forest Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Lake Area High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Forest Lake, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Forest Lake on the city page.
Is Forest Lake Area High School a good school?
Forest Lake Area High School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Forest Lake Public School District?
Besides Forest Lake Area High School, Forest Lake Public School District also operates Forest Lake Area Middle School (916 students), Lino Lakes Elementary (501 students), and Wyoming Elementary (447 students). See the Forest Lake Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.