The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Big Lake Online 6-12
Big Lake Online 6-12 is a virtual public school serving grades six through twelve, operating as a regular school within the Big Lake Public School District. It is not a charter school. The school serves students from the Big Lake area, a rapidly growing exurb of the Twin Cities that has shifted from a summer-cabin destination to a year-round commuter community. Many residents commute daily into the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The city retains a small-town civic identity through annual events like Spud Fest and large youth sports tournaments, and it is home to the ice auger company Strike Master. The former Northstar Commuter Rail station, replaced by bus service in early 2026, remains a local landmark.
The school's enrollment is small and concentrated in the upper grades. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic and Black students making up the next largest groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves a wide grade band, but the distribution is heavily weighted toward eleventh and twelfth graders, with very few students in the middle school grades. This pattern is typical for an online program, where families often turn to virtual learning in the later high school years.
State testing data for the most recent school year shows very low proficiency rates in both math and English language arts for the grades that were tested. In science, the test results were suppressed due to a low number of test-takers, and the participation rate in eighth-grade science testing was low. Because the school's online format means students take assessments remotely and may do so at different paces, a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports test participation and how it uses assessment results to guide instruction. The multi-year trend data shows only a single year of testing results, so there is no trend to examine.
When compared to other school districts in Sherburne County, Big Lake Online 6-12 falls in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school's graduation rate and chronic absenteeism rate were not available in the data, so those measures cannot be evaluated here. Since the school serves grades six through twelve, a graduation rate would normally be expected, and its absence is a gap a parent may want to follow up on with the school.
The district itself has not reported any recent referendums, curriculum changes, property-tax shifts, or other parent-relevant developments in the available research. Housing values in the Big Lake area are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks. The community is described as a young, growing population with a tight housing supply.
For families who are considering Big Lake Online 6-12, the most important takeaway is that this is a virtual program that serves a relatively small number of students, with the bulk of enrollment in the high school grades. The academic performance data is limited and shows low proficiency on state assessments, and the comparison to other districts in the county places the school at the low end. A conversation with the school about its approach to online instruction, student support, and how it prepares students for graduation would be a natural next step for any parent trying to determine whether this program fits their student's needs.
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