SWMetro Lakeside Academy

SWMetro Lakeside Academy is one of the tiny high schools in BUFFALO, Minnesota, overseen by Southwest Metro Intermediate 288, with 23 students on its rolls from grades 7 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 94% smaller than the state mean of about 371.

Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 comprises 20 schools with combined enrollment of 560 students; SWMetro Lakeside Academy is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, SWMetro Lakeside Academy shows that 74% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school reports 9% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 4% Black, 4% Native American. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 89%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, SWMetro Lakeside Academy has 2 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.3:1, putting SWMetro Lakeside Academy tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is higher than Wright County's rate of about 24%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Wright County shows median household earnings sit near $107,209, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. In all, Wright County runs 88 public schools (combined enrollment of about 27,879 students), of which SWMetro Lakeside Academy is one.

The closest other public school is PHOENIX LEARNING CENTER, roughly 4.2 miles away. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 53%: 15 students in 2018 compared to 23 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked up from 60% to 74%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 7.5:1 in 2018 to 11.6:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.