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Northern Lights Community School

Q: Is Northern Lights Community School a good school?

Northern Lights Community School ranks in the bottom 8.5% of Minnesota high schools.

Q: How many students attend Northern Lights Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Northern Lights Community School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Northern Lights Community School?

Students at Northern Lights Community School are 80% White, 9% American Indian, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

433^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 8% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Northern Lights Community School is a small public school in Warba, Minnesota, serving grades 6 through 12 with roughly 91 students, and it operates as its own district.

Academically, the school sits near the bottom of Minnesota's rankings. In 2025–2026 it placed 433rd of 473 schools (8th percentile, 0 stars), and its history shows it has never climbed above the 21st percentile. Test proficiency in 2025–2026 was 16.7% in math, 22.9% in reading, and 10.3% in science, compared with statewide rates of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. Reading proficiency was the lowest among nearby schools. In math, Northern Lights Community School outperformed Hill City Senior High and Grand Rapids Area Learning Center (both 0%) but trailed Nashwauk Secondary (33.7%), Grand Rapids Senior High (34.4%), and Greenway Senior High (17.1%). The school serves a high-need population — 71.43% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, the highest among nearby schools — while keeping the smallest student–teacher ratio (9.4). Small classes have not translated into stronger results.

The clearest concern is whether students finish high school. In 2024–2025 the graduation rate was 53.8% and the dropout rate 23.0%, versus 84.9% and 4.2% statewide; nearby schools graduated 80.9%–96.4% of students. Even the Grand Rapids Area Learning Center, an alternative setting, posted a higher graduation rate and much lower dropout rate. The trend is worrying: graduation fell from 81.8% in 2020–2021 to 53.8%, while dropout rose from 0.0% to 23.0%. One bright spot: 8th-grade science proficiency was 25%, above the state's 16.7% and Nashwauk Secondary's 10.3%. Many grade-level results are suppressed by the state, and with only 91 students a single class can move the numbers.

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,176

Per pupil spending ?

71.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

305 Bridge St
Warba, MN 55793-2829

(218) 492-4400

District: Northern Lights Community School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

American Indian:

8.8%

African American:

5.5%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Northern Lights Community School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2012 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (17% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Minnesota average (54% vs 85%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg17%

Minnesota avg43%

Middle school

315^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 34 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

433^rd of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

362^nd of 458Northern Lights Community School among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	315 of 546	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	3.2	542 of 545	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	469 of 529	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	454 of 520	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	450 of 518	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.5	467 of 508	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.4	466 of 469	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.7	440 of 454	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	23.3	371 of 459	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	6.8	442 of 464	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	0.8	438 of 440	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	409 of 436	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	433 of 473	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	472 of 480	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	428 of 472	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.0	436 of 494	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.8	427 of 489	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.8	404 of 489	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.9	398 of 504	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.3	385 of 483	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.9	447 of 534	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	8.3	466 of 539	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.4	404 of 545	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.8	400 of 540	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.5	394 of 460	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	7.3	437 of 463	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	16.8	374 of 450	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	27.7	238 of 312	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	326 of 374	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	1.1	400 of 401	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	398 of 414	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)19th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)5th percentile-7 vs school

White (2024)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)24th percentile+14 vs school

White (2022)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading23%-26 vs state

Math17%-28 vs state

Science10%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northern Lights Community School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)					MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
Northern Lights Community School	Public, Charter	6-12	305 Bridge St	Warba	55793	Itasca County	Northern Lights Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 492-4400	91	10	9.4	71.4%	73 (80.2%)	5 (5.5%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.4%)	9.1	433^rd of 473 public high schools	8.5%					(n/a)			25.0	23.1	22.9	25.0	0.0	10.3			25.0		16.7	$21,176
Greenway Senior High	Public	9-12	308 Roosevelt St	Coleraine	55722	Itasca County	Greenway Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 245-1287	271	21	13.2	45.8%	214 (79.0%)	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.0%)	40.4	291^st of 473 public high schools	38.5%		59.2	206^th of 450 public high schools	54.2%	85				38.8	38.8		25.0	25.0				17.1	17.1	$17,824
Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	Public	9-12	601 SW 7th St	Grand Rapids	55722	Itasca County	Infinity: Minnesota Digital Academy	No	No	No	No	(800) 624-4072	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Grand Rapids Area Learning Center	Public	8-12	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5750	129	5	26.7	62.8%	106 (82.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (10.9%)	6.7	450^th of 473 public high schools	4.9%					(n/a)							5.0	5.0				0.0	0.0	$11,995
Grand Rapids Area Virtual Secondary	Public	6-12	650 SW 7th Ave	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(218) 327-5760	0																		(n/a)
Grand Rapids Senior High	Public	9-12	800 Conifer Dr NW	Grand Rapids	55744	Itasca County	Grand Rapids Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 327-5760	1,091	56	19.4	35.8%	928 (85.1%)	7 (0.6%)	29 (2.7%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (4.2%)	67.4	146^th of 473 public high schools	69.1%		64.2	171^st of 450 public high schools	62.0%	25				45.2	45.2		39.1	39.1				34.4	34.4	$13,413
Nashwauk Secondary	Public	7-12	100 Spartan Way	Nashwauk	55769	Itasca County	Nashwauk-Keewatin School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 885-1280	228	18	12.9	51.8%	184 (80.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (15.4%)	28.1	350^th of 473 public high schools	26.0%		52.6	243^rd of 450 public high schools	46.0%	107		36.1	36.7	30.6	34.3	10.3	22.9	17.2		38.9	46.4	9.1	33.7	$15,831
Hill City Senior High	Public	9-12	500 Ione Ave	Hill City	55748	Aitkin County	Hill City Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 697-2394	72	6	11.1	54.2%	61 (84.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.5%)	34.4	317^th of 473 public high schools	33.0%		15.8	391^st of 450 public high schools	13.1%	74				43.8	43.8		18.8	18.8				0.0	0.0	$17,871

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Lights Community School

What is the racial makeup of Northern Lights Community School?

Students at Northern Lights Community School are 80% White, 9% American Indian, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

How many students attend Northern Lights Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 91 students attended Northern Lights Community School.

Is Northern Lights Community School a good school?

Northern Lights Community School ranks in the bottom 8.5% of Minnesota high schools.

What district is Northern Lights Community School in?

Northern Lights Community School

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresNewSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.