Best High Schools in Perham, MN

There are two high schools in Perham, Minnesota, both serving grades 9–12 within the Perham-Dent Public School District: the larger Perham Senior High with 529 students, and the much smaller Perham Area Learning Center with 38 students. The two share the same street address, suggesting the Area Learning Center is co-located with the Senior High campus. The district itself is ranked 74th of 458 districts in Minnesota, placing it in the 84th percentile with 4 stars.

Perham Senior High is the clear academic standout and has been remarkably consistent, ranking 51st of 473 Minnesota high schools (89th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026 and holding the 89th percentile for three consecutive years. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate of 88.3% is above both the district (85.5%) and the state (84.9%). In 2025–2026, science proficiency was 43.4% versus district 27.7% and state 25.5%, and reading was 57.0% versus 52.7% and 48.6%. Math, at 47.3%, was above the state (44.9%) but slightly below the district (49.3%), making it the school's least standout subject. Reading and science both declined from 2024–2025 but remained above district and state averages.

Perham Area Learning Center serves a very different student population. With only 38 students, its student-teacher ratio is 8.0 compared with 18.4 at the Senior High, and 57.89% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch versus 26.65%. Its 2024–2025 dropout rate was 0.0%, better than the district (5.0%) and state (4.2%), but its graduation rate of 73.0% is below both. All of its 2025–2026 math, reading, and science figures are “—”, meaning the state suppressed them for privacy — not that they are zero. Its one recent result, 2024–2025 math at 4.76%, is very low but comes from a very small school. In 2024–2025, the two schools' math proficiency differed by about 38.8 percentage points, and the district's strong overall ranking is likely driven mainly by the Senior High.