Total enrollment
5,768
-182 (-3%) vs SY 2017-18
20 schools in Forest Lake
Minnesota · Public K-12
Forest Lake's public-school footprint covers 20 campuses with combined enrollment of about 5,916 students, averaging 296 per campus.
7-year change in Forest Lake
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
14
-1 (-7%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
76%
was 86%
% Hispanic
8%
was 5%
% Black
3%
was 2%
% Asian
7%
was 3%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
| Name | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Elementary | Elementary | PK-06 | 441 |
| Community School Credit Recovery | High | 09-12 | 34 |
| Early Childhood Special Education | Elementary | PK-PK | 103 |
| Forest Lake Area Community School | High | 06-12 | 113 |
| Forest Lake Area High School | High | 09-12 | 1,805 |
| Forest Lake Area Middle School | Middle | 07-08 | 916 |
| Forest Lake Elementary | Middle | 04-06 | 309 |
| Forest Lake Therapeutic Education | High | 07-12 | 4 |
| Forest View Elementary | Elementary | PK-03 | 345 |
| LILA Kinder Center | Elementary | PK-KG | · |
| LILA Lower School | Elementary | 01-05 | 607 |
| LILA Upper School | High | 06-12 | 579 |
| North Lakes Academy 7-12 Campus | High | 07-12 | 245 |
| North Lakes Academy Elementary | Elementary | KG-06 | 220 |
| North Lakes Academy Middle School | Middle | 06-08 | 148 |
| Online Learning Program | High | 06-12 | 0 |
| Out-of-State Care and Treatment | Combined | KG-12 | 0 |
| Ranger Academy | Combined | M-M | · |
| Ranger Online | High | 09-12 | 0 |
| Step | High | 10-12 | 47 |
About Forest Lake
Forest Lake is a medium-population Minnesota city in terms of public-school footprint, with 20 schools and 5,916 students total.
For a sense of the school types, the city consists of 6 elementary, 3 middle, 9 high, and 2 other.
Average school size in Forest Lake is around 296 students, 17% noticeably below the Minnesota average of about 357.
Looking at the last 7 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 5,768 students, decreased 3% from the 5,950 reported in SY 2017-18. The school count fell from 15 to 14 across the same 7-year window. The White share of public-school enrollment contracted from 86% to 76%.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Forest Lake discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.