The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Science. The lowest is 36% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Forest View Elementary
Forest View Elementary serves prekindergarten through third grade in Forest Lake, a rapidly growing suburb in the northwestern corner of Washington County, roughly half an hour northeast of the Twin Cities. The school is part of the Forest Lake Public School District, which spans a wide geographic area that includes the city of Forest Lake and the surrounding communities that were formerly part of Forest Lake Township before annexation. The city mixes residential subdivisions, lakefront recreation, and commercial corridors along Highways 35E and 35W, and the district’s elementary campuses are spread across this landscape rather than concentrated in a single downtown core.
This is an early-elementary building, enrolling only students up to third grade, so the data that exists for a K through five or a middle or high school does not apply here. There is no graduation rate because the school does not serve high school grades. State testing data is limited to the one grade level that takes the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments: third grade. In that single year, just under half of third graders met standards in math, and roughly a third met standards in reading. These figures position the school’s overall proficiency below the midpoint among districts in Washington County. Because the grade band is so narrow, these results reflect only one tested cohort and should be read as a snapshot rather than a trend. No science testing data is available for the current grade configuration; science is not assessed until fifth grade, which this school does not serve. A parent may want to ask the school how younger students are building foundational literacy and numeracy skills in the years before state testing begins.
Enrollment is modest for a public elementary school, with most students in kindergarten through third grade and no prekindergarten students reported in the count. The student body is predominantly white, with Asian students making up a notable share and smaller percentages of Hispanic, two or more races, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial share that suggests a significant portion of families are managing economic constraints. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available in the profile.
The Forest Lake district has been through a turbulent period that directly affects this school. In March 2024, the school board voted to close Forest Lake Elementary, a different school in the district, at the end of the 2023-2024 year as part of a multi-million-dollar budget reduction plan. Attendance boundaries for all elementary schools were redrawn for the 2024-2025 school year, meaning the families whose children now attend Forest View Elementary may have been redistricted from another school. Voters rejected operating levy referendums in both 2022 and 2023, which would have generated additional annual revenue; the district is planning another referendum attempt in 2025. The approved budget reductions for 2024-2025 included staffing cuts and program adjustments across the district. For a family considering Forest View, the financial landscape of the district is an active concern with direct consequences for class sizes, program availability, and school configuration.
Housing costs in the immediate zip code area are high relative to state and national medians, with home values above the Minnesota average and rents above the national average. This places Forest Lake as a more expensive option within the broader metro area, which may factor into a family’s decision about where to live and what school their child will attend. The housing market reflects the area’s status as a growing, amenity-rich suburb with lake access, parks, and highway connections to the Twin Cities.
Forest View Elementary is a school that serves the youngest learners in a district navigating significant financial and structural change. Its academic performance in the one tested grade sits below the county midpoint, and the broader district context of boundary shifts and budget reductions means the experience of attending this school may continue to evolve. For families who place a priority on stability or want to track how the district’s financial recovery plan settles out, this is a school where those questions remain open.
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