Schools in Cook, MN

Cook, Minnesota, is served by two public schools in the St. Louis County School District: North Woods Elementary (PK–6, 234 students) and North Woods Secondary (7–12, 245 students), together serving about 479 students across the full PK–12 span. The district is rated 323 of 458, 29th percentile, 1 star, and its 2025–2026 proficiency is below Minnesota averages: math 31.7% vs 44.9%, reading 40.8% vs 48.6%, and science 17.1% vs 25.5%.

The two schools are moving in opposite directions. North Woods Secondary is on an upward path. Its rank improved from 344 of 480, 28th percentile, 1 star in 2023–2024 to 281 of 473, 41st percentile, 2 stars in 2025–2026. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate was 90.9%, above the state’s 84.9%, though below the district’s 93.2%, and its dropout rate was 4.5%, above the district’s 3.3% and the state’s 4.2%. Reading is its bright spot: all-grade reading was 43.2%, above the district’s 40.8%, and 10th grade reading was 47.4%, above both district and state. Math and science remain weak: all-grade math was 17.9% vs the district’s 31.7% and state’s 44.9%, while science was 18.9% vs the state’s 25.5%.

North Woods Elementary stands out for relative math strength and smaller classes, but it is trending in the opposite direction. All-grade math was 35.7%, above the district’s 31.7%, and 4th and 5th grade math also beat district averages; its student-teacher ratio was 12.2, better than the secondary school’s 13.8. However, its rank fell from 477 of 881, 46th percentile, 2 stars in 2023–2024 to 632 of 869, 27th percentile, 1 star in 2025–2026. Reading dropped from 46.55% in 2024–2025 to 36.5% in 2025–2026, below the district’s 40.8% and state’s 48.6%, with 6th grade reading at 23.5% vs the district’s 40.2% and state’s 53.4%. Science was 14.7%, below the district’s 17.1% and state’s 25.5%. Its free/reduced lunch rate was 50% vs 41.22% at the secondary school, so lower outcomes are not explained by class size alone. Science is the weakest subject across both schools, and because grades 6–8 are split between the two schools and enrollment is small, year-to-year changes should be read with caution.