Summary:
Big Lake, Minnesota is served by the Big Lake Public School District, which includes six schools — three elementary, one middle, and two high schools — covering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with a total enrollment of 3,190 students. The district is ranked 188 of 458 in Minnesota, placing it in the 59th percentile with 3 stars. Two of the six schools are fully online: Big Lake Online K-5 with 24 students, and Big Lake Online 6-12 with 118 students.
Among brick-and-mortar schools, Big Lake Middle School has the strongest recent ranking profile, reaching 122 of 519 (76th percentile, 4 stars) in 2024–2025, and its 8th-grade reading (60.8%) and 8th-grade math (54.9%) both exceed state averages. Independence Elementary leads the traditional elementaries in math, at 51.1% in 2025–2026 and 54.86% in 2024–2025, both above district and state, though its reading trails the state. Big Lake Senior High posts the strongest graduation profile — 96.2% graduation and 2.3% dropout vs state 84.9% and 4.2% — and science above state (28.1% vs 25.5%), but its math (29%) and reading (44.2%) fall below state levels. Liberty Elementary serves PK–2, so it has no recent test scores; it has the lowest student/teacher ratio at 13.1.
Families should note that online results look quite different: Big Lake Online 6-12 has low math (8.3%) and reading (31.6%) proficiency but a 91.4% graduation rate, above the state. Big Lake Online K-5 shows reading of 50% but math of 20%, with only 24 students. Many test-score cells are marked —, meaning the state suppressed them to protect student privacy; treat these as unknown, not as evidence of weakness. Overall, the district outperforms the state on graduation and dropout.
Thank you for your feedback!