Summary:
Cook County Public Schools is a small district in Grand Marais, Minnesota, serving about 475 students across three schools at one address: Sawtooth Mountain Elementary (PK–5, 203 students), Cook County Middle (6–8, 95 students), and Cook County Senior High (9–12, 177 students). Overall the district ranks 233 of 458 in Minnesota, at the 49th percentile with 2 stars — but that average hides a sharp split between the high school and the lower grades.
Cook County Senior High is the standout: in 2025–2026 it ranked 21 of 473 high schools, in the 96th percentile with 5 stars, up from the 63rd percentile in each of the two prior years. Its proficiency is above the state in every subject — math 47.4%, reading 61.5%, science 54.3%, compared with state rates of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. Reading is 12.9 percentage points above the state and science 28.8 points above. Its graduation rate is 89.5%, above the state's 84.9%, though its dropout rate of 6.2% is higher than the state's 4.2%.
The other two schools trail state averages. Cook County Middle ranked 431 of 546, at the 21st percentile with 1 star, down from the 40th percentile in 2023–2024; science is its extreme weak point at 4.5% proficient versus 25.5% statewide. Sawtooth Mountain Elementary ranked 629 of 869, at the 28th percentile with 1 star, with math at 29.4% versus 44.9% statewide. Free/reduced lunch rates (38.42%–44.83%) and student-teacher ratios (10.2–11.4) are similar across all three schools, so they do not explain the achievement gap on their own.
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