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Alumni: what's one memory from BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
902
High
DISTRICT 510 · STATE 371
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270546000206
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH
501 MINNESOTA AVE, BIG LAKE, MN 55309 · (763) 262-2547 · Sherburne County
GRADES 09–12HIGH31-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL902 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 31% of Minnesota public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public high schools
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 80.1:1 · STATE 16.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
259 students
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 225 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 228 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 225 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 224 | 25% |
Student demographics
41%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
46.1%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
26.7%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MN schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
36.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.6%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 50% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH's state test result (36.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH this school | 902 | 28.7% | 36.5% |
| Red Wing Senior High RED WING | 762 | 30.6% | 22.6% |
| MANKATO WEST SENIOR HIGH MANKATO | 1,232 | 26.5% | 56.1% |
| HUTCHINSON SENIOR HIGH HUTCHINSON | 863 | 27.1% | 40.6% |
| EAST GRAND FORKS SENIOR HIGH EAST GRAND FORKS | 608 | 30.3% | 35.1% |
| WINONA SENIOR HIGH WINONA | 849 | 33.7% | 32.1% |
Matched among Minnesota high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Sherburne County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.5% | #227 of 397 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.7% | #254 of 401 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.1% | #204 of 397 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 902 | #100 of 764 | #2 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.6:1 | #258 of 332 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.9% | #140 of 338 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 28.7% | #307 of 444 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.1% | #181 of 181 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
902
-22 (-2%) vs 2020
+89% since 1990-91, when it was 477
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
was 37.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 902 | 45.9 | 19.6:1 | 29% (259) |
| 2023-24 | 850 | 49 | 17.4:1 | 32% (269) |
| 2022-23 | 899 | 30.2 | 29.8:1 | 30% (273) |
| 2020-21 | 924 | 25 | 37.0:1 | 13% (117) |
| 2017-18 | 901 | 44.1 | 20.4:1 | 21% (191) |
| 2015-16 | 951 | 45 | 21.1:1 | 24% (224) |
| 2010-11 | 955 | 44 | 21.7:1 | 26% (245) |
| 2000-01 | 614 | 43 | 14.3:1 | 11% (65) |
| 1990-91 | 477 | 28 | 17.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (901 to 902); teachers up 4% (44.1 to 45.9).
About BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH is a high-enrollment high school for students in BIG LAKE, Minnesota. Classes run from 9 through 12, and the school has 902 students. Against the 371-student average for high schools in Minnesota, enrollment here is 143% higher.
BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT has 6 schools; together they serve 3,190 students.
White students make up a majority at BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH, at 76%. Other students are 9% Hispanic, 7% Black, 6% multiracial, and 2% Asian. That is lower than the 87% White share among all Sherburne County residents. The school's diversity index is 41%, meaning two students picked at random have a 41% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school has about 19.6 students per teacher and 45.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 3.3 above the 16.3:1 average for high schools in Minnesota. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 29%. That tracks the 29% average for public schools in Sherburne County.
allk12 grades BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH a C. The grade compares the school only with Minnesota public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
Test results at BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH are 13.1 points below what its student poverty level predicts. The average proficiency rate on state tests is 36.5%, compared with a predicted 49.6%, which ranks in the bottom 10% in Minnesota.
Federal survey data for Sherburne County show that the median household income is $105,466, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 30% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 3%. There are 45 public schools in Sherburne County, enrolling about 16,306 students in all.
The closest public school to BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH is Big Lake Online K-5, less than a tenth of a mile away. BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH comes in 4th of 4 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Locale: Town: Fringe. In NCES terms, the school is in a town close to an urbanized area.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 924 in 2020-21 and 902 in 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 19.6 students per teacher, compared with 37.0 in 2020-21.
Conversations here can range across enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Sherburne County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
100,560
Census ACS
Median income
$105,466
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
45
16,306 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARYElementary · 758 students
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARYElementary · 756 students
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 632 students
- Big Lake Online 6-12High · 118 students
- Big Lake Online K-5Elementary · 24 students
Other schools in BIG LAKE
- INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARYElementary · 758 students
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARYElementary · 756 students
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 632 students
- Big Lake Online 6-12High · 118 students
- Big Lake Online K-5Elementary · 24 students
Nearby schools
- Big Lake Online K-50.0 mi · 24
- Big Lake Online 6-120.0 mi · 118
- BIG LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL0.2 mi · 632
- INDEPENDENCE ELEMENTARY0.3 mi · 758
- LIBERTY ELEMENTARY0.7 mi · 756
- Monticello Middle3.5 mi · 860
Frequently asked questions
About BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGHHow many students attend BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH?
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH enrolls approximately 902 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH serve?
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH have?
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH employs 46 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.6:1.
What is the student diversity at BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH?
Student demographics at BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH are roughly 76% White, 9% Hispanic, 7% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH in?
BIG LAKE SENIOR HIGH is part of BIG LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.