The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Big Lake Online K-5
Big Lake Online K-5 is an online public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Big Lake Public School District. This is not a brick-and-mortar building where students gather in a classroom each morning; it is a full-time virtual program that families in and around this exurban Sherburne County community choose for the flexibility of remote learning. The school’s size is small, with an enrollment that reflects a niche program within a district anchored by its traditional elementary schools.
The student body is predominantly white, and a substantial share of students come from lower-income households, as measured by the share qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. Because this is an online program that covers the elementary grades only, the school does not serve high school and therefore has no graduation rate to report. That gap is expected given its grade band.
On state assessments for the most recent year, the school’s proficiency rates in math and reading were reported at zero for each tested grade level, from third through fifth. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed due to a small number of test-takers, with the available participation rate at about half. These results were for a single year, and the school has only that one year of data available for comparison, so there is no trend to examine. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the bottom quartile among its comparison set of districts in Sherburne County. A parent considering this program will want to discuss directly with the school how academic progress is measured and supported in the online setting, particularly given that the public assessment data offers little to go on.
The program is a virtual school, so the peer environment and daily experience are shaped by remote learning structures rather than a physical campus. Families who enroll are opting into a model where instruction, assignments, and interaction happen through a computer at home, often with a parent or guardian serving as a learning coach during the school day. The school’s location is listed at the district’s administrative address in Big Lake, but students are not expected to attend classes there.
Big Lake itself is a residential exurb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, roughly an hour’s drive northwest of the Twin Cities. It was once a summer cabin destination on its lakes but has grown into a year-round commuter community where a significant part of the population heads into the metro for work. The city describes itself as rapidly growing, with a young population and a tight housing market. Annual community events like Spud Fest and a large youth football tournament give it a small-town civic identity even as development pushes outward from the metro. For families in this area, the online program offers an alternative to the district’s traditional elementary schools without leaving the district.
The district itself has no recent major parent-relevant changes publicly reported, such as bond referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax adjustments. For a family weighing whether this online elementary program is the right fit, the central considerations are the mode of learning and the degree of daily parent involvement it requires, alongside the need to get a clearer picture from the school on how student progress is tracked and supported. The assessment data does not provide reassurance on academic outcomes, and the school is too small and new in its current form to offer a track record a family can easily evaluate from the outside.
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