Original Research by School Decision on Central Lakes Adventure School
Central Lakes Adventure School in Cass County, Minnesota, served students in grades seven through twelve. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the school was tagged as "Stopping 2024-2025," meaning it ceased serving students during that school year. For fiscal year 2026, it was consolidated and renumbered into Harvest Best Academy, so families in the Pillager area no longer have this charter option, and students would need to transition to that receiving school or another alternative. In July 2023, the district changed its official name from Pillager Area Charter School to Central Lakes Adventure School, a rebranding of the charter that had operated under the Pillager name for years.
The student body was small, with enrollment under fifty students spanning grades seven through twelve. The grade-level distribution showed a modest cluster in the upper grades. Racially, most students identified as white, with smaller shares identifying as Hispanic, two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian. Data on students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, and information on students with disabilities and English learners was also missing.
State testing data was heavily suppressed, meaning no proficiency rates were reported for math, English language arts, or science. A handful of students participated in assessments in the recent school years, and participation rates were high, but the results themselves were withheld from public reporting to protect student privacy. Because the school served grades seven through twelve, and those grades are tested in Minnesota, the absence of reported results reflects the small number of test-takers, not the grade band. A parent looking for a measure of academic performance will find little to go on directly from state data.
The school's chronic absenteeism rate was at the highest end among Cass County's districts, sitting in the bottom quartile compared to its peers. This is a soft spot that a family may want to investigate further with the school or the district to understand the context. Per-pupil current spending was in the middle range of the county's districts, falling in the lower half.
No information was available on the school's locale, Title I status, discipline rates, course access, or staffing. The school's programs were also not reported, so there is no evidence of AP, career, or dual-credit offerings. The school appears to have operated as a single-building charter district with one school site.
Central Lakes Adventure School was a small, grades seven through twelve charter in Cass County that recently rebranded and has now closed and consolidated. Its testing data was too sparse to characterize academic performance, and attendance challenges stood out. For a family considering this area now, the school is no longer an option, and attention would turn to Harvest Best Academy or other area schools.
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