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Northern Lights Community School

Q: How many students attend Northern Lights Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Northern Lights Community School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Northern Lights Community School?

Students at Northern Lights Community School are 80% White, 9% American Indian, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

Summary

Northern Lights Community School is a public charter high school located in Warba, Minnesota, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 82 students, the majority of whom come from low-income families.

Despite the school's small size, it faces significant challenges. Northern Lights Community School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing high schools in Minnesota, with proficiency rates on state assessments that are well below the state average across all subject areas and grade levels. The school also has a high dropout rate, ranging from 7.6% to 20% over the past five years, and a lower-than-average graduation rate, fluctuating between 73.3% and 81.8% during the same period. These struggles are particularly concerning given that over 80% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high proportion of low-income students who may face additional barriers to academic success.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Nashwauk Secondary and Hill City Senior High, Northern Lights Community School performs significantly worse across various metrics, including academic achievement, graduation rates, and dropout rates. This suggests that the school's challenges may be unique and require a comprehensive review of its educational strategies and support systems to address the needs of its predominantly low-income student population and improve student outcomes.

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,176

Per pupil spending ?

71.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

305 Bridge St
Warba, MN 55793-2829

(218) 492-4400

District: Northern Lights Community School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

American Indian:

8.8%

African American:

5.5%

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Compare Northern Lights Community School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 26th percentile in 2011 → 2nd in 2024

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (25% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Minnesota average (54% vs 85%)

!Dropout rate above the Minnesota average (23% vs 4%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg25%

Minnesota avg47%

Not ranked this year

Northern Lights Community School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	3.2	542 of 545	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	469 of 529	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	454 of 520	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	450 of 518	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.5	467 of 508	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.4	466 of 469	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.7	440 of 454	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	23.3	371 of 459	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	6.8	442 of 464	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	0.8	438 of 440	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	409 of 436	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	4.3	472 of 480	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	428 of 472	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	436 of 494	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.8	427 of 489	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.8	404 of 489	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.9	398 of 504	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.3	385 of 483	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.9	447 of 534	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	8.3	466 of 539	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.4	404 of 545	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.8	400 of 540	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.5	394 of 460	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	7.3	437 of 463	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	16.8	374 of 450	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	27.7	238 of 312	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	326 of 374	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	1.1	400 of 401	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	398 of 414	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)19th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)5th percentile-7 vs school

White (2024)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)24th percentile+14 vs school

White (2022)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading36%-13 vs state

Math9%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northern Lights Community School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)				MCA-III Reading (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Northern Lights Community School	Public, Charter	6-12	305 Bridge St	Warba	55793	Itasca County	Northern Lights Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 492-4400	91	10	9.4	71.4%	73 (80.2%)	5 (5.5%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.4%)								(n/a)	14.3			9.1	21.4		41.2	36.4	$21,176
Greenway Senior High	Public	9-12	308 Roosevelt St	Coleraine	55722	Itasca County	Greenway Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 245-1287	271	21	13.2	45.8%	214 (79.0%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.0%)	59.2	206^th of 450 public high schools	54.2%		50.2	257^th of 480 public high schools	46.5%	51			29.8	29.8			51.9	51.9	$17,824
Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	Public	9-12	601 SW 7th St	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	No	No	No	No	(800) 624-4072	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Grand Rapids Area Learning Center	Public	8-12	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5750	129	5	26.7	62.8%	106 (82.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (10.9%)								(n/a)			1.9	1.9					$11,995
Grand Rapids Senior High	Public	9-12	800 Conifer Dr NW	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5760	1,091	56	19.4	35.8%	928 (85.1%)	7 (0.6%)	29 (2.7%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (4.2%)	64.2	171^st of 450 public high schools	62.0%		60.9	204^th of 480 public high schools	57.5%	33			36.5	36.5			50.6	50.6	$13,413
Nashwauk Secondary	Public	7-12	400 2nd St	Nashwauk	55769	Itasca County	Nashwauk-Keewatin School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 885-1280	228	18	12.9	51.8%	184 (80.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (15.4%)	52.6	243^rd of 450 public high schools	46.0%		34.6	337^th of 480 public high schools	29.8%	94	33.3	40.0	29.0	34.0	47.1	40.0	46.4	44.6	$15,831
Hill City Senior High	Public	9-12	500 Ione Ave	Hill City	55748	Aitkin County	Hill City Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 697-2394	72	6	11.1	54.2%	61 (84.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.5%)	15.8	391^st of 450 public high schools	13.1%		38.1	321^st of 480 public high schools	33.1%	70			7.1	7.1			29.4	29.4	$17,871

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Lights Community School

What district is Northern Lights Community School in?

Northern Lights Community School

How many students attend Northern Lights Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Northern Lights Community School.

What is the racial makeup of Northern Lights Community School?

Students at Northern Lights Community School are 80% White, 9% American Indian, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.