Summary:
The Forest Lake Public School District in Minnesota operates three high schools: Forest Lake Area High School, Forest Lake Area Community School, and Step. While Forest Lake Area High School is the district's flagship school with strong academic performance, the other two high schools are struggling, with lower graduation rates, higher dropout rates, and significantly lower test scores compared to state and district averages.
Forest Lake Area High School stands out as the top-performing school in the district, consistently ranking in the top 25% of Minnesota high schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, Forest Lake Area Community School has ranked in the bottom 25% of Minnesota high schools with a 0-star rating, and Step does not have any statewide ranking data available, but its academic metrics are significantly lower than the district and state averages.
The disparities between the schools are further highlighted by their student demographics and resources. Forest Lake Area High School has a lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (24%) compared to Forest Lake Area Community School (54%) and Step (51%), indicating that the latter two schools serve a more economically disadvantaged population. Additionally, Step has an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 6:1, which is worth investigating to understand its potential impact on the educational experience.
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