Enrollment
241
High
DISTRICT 249 · STATE 371
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MOUNTAIN LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 272301001135
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY
450 12TH ST N, MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN 56159 · (507) 427-2325 · Cottonwood County
GRADES 07–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL241 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 47% of Minnesota public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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
13.9:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · STATE 16.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
56%
135 students
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 48%
Community
0
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 7 | 48 | 20% |
| Grade 8 | 37 | 15% |
| Grade 9 | 42 | 17% |
| Grade 10 | 33 | 14% |
| Grade 11 | 38 | 16% |
| Grade 12 | 43 | 18% |
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · 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 MOUNTAIN LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
34.5%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
37.9%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 35 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
32.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
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 MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY's state test result (32.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY this school | 241 | 56.0% | 32.5% |
| AFSA High School VADNAIS HEIGHTS | 246 | 55.7% | 29.5% |
| PELICAN RAPIDS SECONDARY PELICAN RAPIDS | 374 | 58.3% | 44.6% |
| Windom Senior High WINDOM | 327 | 46.8% | 47.0% |
| RENVILLE COUNTY WEST SENIOR HIGH RENVILLE | 219 | 43.8% | 35.8% |
| CLIMAX SECONDARY CLIMAX | 94 | 58.5% | 18.5% |
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 MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 32.5% | #277 of 397 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 37.9% | #152 of 401 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 34.5% | #330 of 397 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 241 | #301 of 764 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.9:1 | #70 of 332 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.4% | #79 of 338 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 56.0% | #100 of 444 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.8% | #175 of 181 |
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
241
-7 (-3%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 231
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
was 20.7:1
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 | 241 | 17.4 | 13.9:1 | 56% (135) |
| 2023-24 | 240 | 16.8 | 14.3:1 | 56% (135) |
| 2022-23 | 244 | 15.3 | 16.0:1 | 57% (139) |
| 2020-21 | 248 | 12 | 20.7:1 | 42% (104) |
| 2017-18 | 239 | 16.2 | 14.8:1 | 51% (122) |
| 2015-16 | 236 | 16 | 14.8:1 | 50% (117) |
| 2010-11 | 208 | 16 | 13.0:1 | 43% (90) |
| 2000-01 | 252 | 19 | 13.3:1 | 31% (77) |
| 1990-91 | 231 | 13 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (239 to 241); teachers up 7% (16.2 to 17.4).
About MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY
In MOUNTAIN LAKE, Minnesota, MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is a small high school. Classes run from 7 through 12, and the school has 241 students. The average for high schools in Minnesota is about 371 students, so this school is 35% smaller than average.
MOUNTAIN LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS has a total of 2 schools and 498 students, MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY among them.
At 56%, White students outnumber all other groups at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY combined. It is also 29% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 6% multiracial. Cottonwood County's residents are about 81% White, 25 points above the school's share. The chance that two students picked at random at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 59%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 13.9:1, with 17.4 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. For comparison, high schools in Minnesota average 16.3:1. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 56%. That is close to the 53% average for public schools in Cottonwood County.
The allk12 Grade for MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is B-. Compared with Minnesota public high schools, the school scored higher than 47% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The model predicts 35.0% for a school in Minnesota with MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY's free or reduced-price lunch share. MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY posts 32.5%.
Cottonwood County census figures show that median household income is about $72,941, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is among the 14 public schools in Cottonwood County.
Of nearby public schools, MOUNTAIN LAKE ELEMENTARY is the closest, at less than a tenth of a mile. Inside a ten-mile radius, there are 3 other public schools. Among 6 nearby schools that report test results, MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY ranks 4th on proficiency.
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is in rural territory far from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Remote.
The student count in 2024-25 was 241, 3% below the 248 of 2020-21. The ratio of students to teachers went from 20.7:1 to 13.9:1 over the same years.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Cottonwood County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
11,458
Census ACS
Median income
$72,941
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
1,966 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MOUNTAIN LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- MOUNTAIN LAKE ELEMENTARYElementary · 257 students
Other schools in MOUNTAIN LAKE
- MOUNTAIN LAKE ELEMENTARYElementary · 257 students
Nearby schools
- MOUNTAIN LAKE ELEMENTARY0.1 mi · 257
- BUTTERFIELD SECONDARY6.9 mi · 103
- BUTTERFIELD ELEMENTARY6.9 mi · 110
- Early Childhood Learning Center10.4 mi · 8
- SWWC ELC - Windom10.8 mi · 42
- SWWC ALC - Windom10.8 mi · 41
Frequently asked questions
About MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARYHow large is MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY?
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY enrolls approximately 241 students in grades 07-12.
What grades does MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY serve?
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY serves grades 07-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY?
The student-to-teacher ratio at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is approximately 13.9:1 (17 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY?
Student demographics at MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY are roughly 56% White, 29% Hispanic, 1% Black, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY in?
MOUNTAIN LAKE SECONDARY is part of MOUNTAIN LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.