The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Science. The lowest is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Heartland Lakes Elementary
Heartland Lakes Elementary is a new free public charter school that opened its doors in fall 2024. Its official records list it as a future school with a placeholder address and a city that does not appear in real civic data, but public reporting places the school in Park Rapids, Minnesota, where it serves elementary grades. It is part of the Heartland Lakes Community School district, a single-school charter district that began with grades K through 6 and plans to expand to eighth grade in subsequent years.
The school was built around an expeditionary, outdoor, project-based learning model, with small class sizes and the Community Schools Model as its framework. It received a five-year federal Charter School Programming grant to support its opening. For families drawn to hands-on, place-based education and a school that emphasizes learning beyond the classroom walls, this is a purposeful choice in the region's public school options.
Because the school is brand new, many of the standard data points have not yet been filled in. Enrollment counts, student demographics, and economic indicators such as free or reduced-price lunch participation were all missing from the available records. State testing data from the 2024-25 school year, its first year, was reported for a few grade levels. In reading, one grade level showed a proficiency rate that was below what many families would hope for; proficiency in science for one grade level was also modest. In math, no tested grade level had a reported proficiency rate above zero. Overall, when combining all tested subjects and grades into a single proficiency index, the school placed in the bottom quarter among the four districts in Hubbard County. This is a very early snapshot, and a parent considering the school may want to ask the administration directly about how it plans to use these results to guide instruction and student support going forward.
No chronic absenteeism or discipline data was available, nor was any information on staffing or course access. As an elementary school that does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The community context is hard to describe with specificity because the address and city used in official records are placeholders that do not correspond to a real Minnesota town. The district brief, however, confirms that the school opened in Park Rapids, a community in Hubbard County. No housing market, employer, or development information was found for the placeholder location. For a sense of the area, families would need to look at Park Rapids itself, a small city in north-central Minnesota known for its lakes and outdoor recreation.
This is a school in its earliest stage. It offers a distinct educational approach for families who want an alternative to traditional district elementary schools, but it has not yet built a track record of academic outcomes. The test results from its first year are a starting point, and the coming years will show whether the expeditionary model translates into the kind of growth that many parents look for. Anyone considering Heartland Lakes Elementary should visit, talk to staff about their plans for developing student proficiency, and see how the school's environment fits their child's needs.
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