Forest Lake Elementary, Forest Lake MN

Original Research by School Decision on Forest Lake Elementary

Forest Lake Elementary serves grades four through six in the Forest Lake Public School District, a regular public school in a rapidly growing suburban community about a half-hour northeast of the Twin Cities. The school is one of several elementary campuses spread across a city that has expanded through annexation, adding lakefront neighborhoods, highway-adjacent commercial strips, and a mix of residential subdivisions. The city describes itself as having a small-town feel with family-friendly recreation, including parks, trails, a sports center, and three golf courses. The area has seen steady population growth, and housing values here sit well above the Minnesota average, making it a relatively expensive place to buy or rent.

The student body is predominantly white, with notable shares of Asian and Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, and Native American students. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that signals moderate economic diversity within the school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education and language support services.

On state assessments, Forest Lake Elementary’s proficiency rates vary by subject and grade. In reading, performance climbs from fourth grade through sixth grade, with the sixth-grade cohort showing the strongest results. Math proficiency held in the range that is below the county midpoint across all three grades. Science, tested only in fifth grade, had a low proficiency rate, though the state changed its science assessment and cut scores that year, which makes direct comparisons to prior years uncertain. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quarter of districts in Washington County. This is a meaningful soft spot. Families considering the school may want to discuss with the administration how the school is working to improve academic outcomes, especially in math and science, and whether the literacy gains seen in the upper grades are consistent across classrooms.

The district context is important here. Publicly reported sources indicate that the Forest Lake school board voted to close this very school at the end of the 2023–2024 school year as part of a budget reduction plan following two failed operating levy referendums. The closure was projected to save money and triggered a redrawing of attendance boundaries for all elementary schools starting in 2024–2025. Yet the academic data from the 2024–2025 school year shows Forest Lake Elementary still operating with enrollment and test results, so the closure may have been delayed or reversed. A reader should verify the school’s current status directly. The district is planning another referendum attempt, and the broader financial picture has led to staffing reductions and program adjustments across the district. This fiscal instability is a factor any prospective family will want to weigh, as it could affect class sizes, course options, and teacher continuity in the years ahead.

Because Forest Lake Elementary serves only intermediate grades, there is no graduation rate, no high school course access, and no chronic absenteeism data available here. The school does not have a magnet or charter designation, and no Title I status was recorded. The programs section in the data was empty, so there is no public information on specialized offerings such as gifted programming, arts, or extracurriculars.

In sum, Forest Lake Elementary is an intermediate school in a growing and relatively expensive outer-suburban community, serving a moderately diverse student body with above-average economic need. Its state test results are below the county median, and it sits within a district that has faced recent budget strain and a vote to close this campus, leaving its long-term role uncertain. A parent considering this school will want to confirm its current operational status and have a direct conversation about academic improvement efforts and district financial health.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 56% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 47% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 48% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 45% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 59% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 60% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 26% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolFOREST LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income67%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income32%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income66%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income62%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income82%Higher-income83%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income43%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income41%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income41%14 pp gap