Trio Wolf Creek Distance Learning

TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning is a public distance-learning high school in Chisago City, Minnesota, serving grades 9–12 with 191 students. It operates as its own district, so its school and district numbers line up almost exactly. It serves families across the Chisago Lakes area northeast of the Twin Cities.

Statewide, TRIO Wolf Creek ranks 431 of 458 districts (6th percentile, 0 stars) and 434 of 473 schools for 2025–2026 (8th percentile, 0 stars) — the lowest result in the history shown. The most urgent issue is whether students finish school. Its graduation rate is 53.6% for 2024–2025, compared with 84.9% statewide, and its dropout rate is 21.9% versus 4.2% statewide. Nearby schools look very different: Chisago Lakes Senior High graduates 93.7% with a 1.9% dropout rate, Forest Lake Area High School graduates 88.7% with 3.8%, and North Lakes Academy 7-12 Campus graduates 87.1% with 0.0%. Even Forest Lake Area Community School, with a similar graduation rate of 55.1%, reports a dropout rate of only 6.9%.

Academics are also a concern. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was 0% (state 44.9%) and reading 19% (state 48.6%); science was suppressed by the state. Reading stood near the state average at 48.39% in 2022–2023, then fell to 35.71%, 34.78%, and 19%. For context, Chisago Lakes Senior High posts 29.1% math and 34.8% reading, Forest Lake Area High School 40.6% and 41.9%, and North Lakes Academy 19.3% and 43.1%. About 33% of TRIO Wolf Creek students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and its student–teacher ratio is 16.8; notably, North Lakes Academy serves a higher share of low-income students (37.55%) yet achieves much stronger outcomes. Reported subgroup results for female, male, and white students all fall below the 16th percentile in recent years, and science data are unavailable, so a complete picture is limited.