Northland Community Schools

Northland Community Schools is a small Minnesota district serving roughly 344 students across three schools: Northland Elementary (grades PK–5, about 185 students), Northland Secondary (grades 6–12, about 149 students), and Little Sand (grades 7–12, only 10 students). There is no separate middle school and no alternative school. The district ranks 380th out of 458 Minnesota districts, in the 17th percentile, with 1 star.

Among the two schools with reported test data, Northland Secondary is the relative academic leader. Its all-grade 2025–2026 proficiency is 19.5% in math, 31% in reading, and 18.4% in science — the highest in the district and above district averages, though still below state averages of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. It improved in math (13.33% to 19.5%) and science (10.34% to 18.4%), while reading held roughly flat at 31%. Its narrowest gaps to the state are Science End of Course (30.8% vs. 35%), 7th grade reading (38.9% vs. 43.5%), and 8th grade science (12% vs. 16.7%). However, its 68.4% graduation rate trails the state's 84.9%, and its 21.0% dropout rate is roughly five times the state's 4.2%.

Northland Elementary has the district's most difficult results and is losing ground. Proficiency is 16.9% in math, 22.1% in reading, and 10.8% in science — below district averages and far below the state — and the school declined in all three subjects year over year. Third grade math and reading are both 0% proficient, against state rates of 57.9% and 46.8%. Little Sand's test scores are suppressed by the state, so its academic performance is unknown; with only 10 students, those "—" values should not be read as zero or as failure. Free/reduced lunch rates run from 70% at Little Sand to 77.3% at Northland Elementary, indicating high poverty across all three schools.