The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Nett Lake Elementary
Nett Lake Elementary is a very small public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Orr, Minnesota, a remote community on Pelican Lake in northern St. Louis County. The school is the only campus in the Nett Lake Public School District, which means the same close-knit environment that defines the elementary experience also defines the entire district. With a single building and a modest enrollment, classes are necessarily small, and each student is likely well known to staff. The school is a regular public school, not a charter, and does not appear to have magnet or Title I status listed in available data.
Orr itself is a tiny town with a population that has been declining over recent years. Its economy historically centered on timber and is now shaped significantly by tourism, as the town serves as a gateway to Voyageurs National Park. The built environment is low-density and oriented along U.S. Highway 53, with limited walkability outside of tourist season. Housing values and rents reflect the rural, remote nature of the area. The town’s civic and commercial life is concentrated along the highway corridor rather than a traditional downtown. For families considering a move, this is a place where outdoor recreation, fishing, and quiet define daily life, and where amenities are sparse.
The student body is almost entirely American Indian or Alaska Native, reflective of the nearby Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available, so families with children who have special education or language needs would want to follow up directly with the school about support services. The enrollment is spread fairly evenly across grades PK through six, with a slightly smaller group in sixth grade.
State test results are low. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in St. Louis County. Individual grade-level data shows very low proficiency in both math and reading across grades three through six. A separate aggregate figure for the same year shows combined proficiency around a third in English language arts and about a fifth in math, but even those figures are well below county and state averages. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed, with only a small number of students tested. These are concerning numbers that a parent would want to discuss with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school is addressing them.
Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and the data does not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access. The district brief found no recent parent-relevant changes or initiatives publicly reported, which is not unusual for a very small rural district with limited news coverage.
What Nett Lake Elementary offers is a small, community-anchored setting for the early years of school. The peer group is homogeneous, the class sizes are tiny, and the surrounding environment is deeply rural. Families who value that intimacy and connection to the local Native community may find the school a natural fit. At the same time, the academic performance data is weak, and the absence of information on special programs, staffing, and support services means that interested parents will need to ask direct questions of the school to get a complete picture.
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