High Schools in Aitkin Public School District

The Aitkin Public School District in Minnesota is home to two high schools: Aitkin Secondary School and Aitkin Alternative Learning Program. Aitkin Secondary School is the larger and more prominent of the two, serving 526 students, while the Aitkin Alternative Learning Program has only 9 students.

Aitkin Secondary School is a strong-performing high school, consistently ranking in the top half of Minnesota high schools with a 3-star rating. The school's 4-year graduation rate of 86.0% is higher than the state average, and it outperforms the state and district averages in math, reading, and science proficiency on the MCA-III assessments, particularly in 8th grade. However, the school's student population is relatively homogeneous, with over 93% of students identifying as White.

In contrast, Aitkin Alternative Learning Program is a much smaller school with only 9 students. While it does not have the same level of performance data available, it has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (66.67%) compared to Aitkin Secondary School (47.53%), indicating potential socioeconomic challenges faced by students in the alternative program. The district may want to examine the role and effectiveness of this smaller, more specialized high school option in meeting the needs of its students.