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Columbus Elementary

Q: Is Columbus Elementary a good school?

Columbus Elementary ranks 145 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

145^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 83% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Columbus Elementary is a public elementary school located in Forest Lake, Minnesota, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 426 students. This school stands out as a high-performing institution within the Forest Lake Public School District, consistently ranking in the top 25% of Minnesota elementary schools with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Columbus Elementary's academic performance is exceptional, with proficiency rates in Math and Reading on the MCA-III assessments that are significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 65.43% of all students at Columbus Elementary were proficient or better in Math, compared to 49.61% for the district and 45.21% for the state. Similarly, 62.08% of all students at Columbus Elementary were proficient or better in Reading, compared to 49.80% for the district and 49.59% for the state. The school also performs exceptionally well for certain student subgroups, particularly female students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Lino Lakes Elementary, Linwood Elementary, and Wyoming Elementary, Columbus Elementary outperforms them in both Math and Reading proficiency rates. The school also compares favorably to nearby charter schools, such as LILA Lower School, which have lower proficiency rates in these subjects. Columbus Elementary's consistent high performance and strong results make it an attractive option for families in the area.

441

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,912

Per pupil spending ?

18.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17345 Notre Dame St
Forest Lake, MN 55025-8872

(651) 982-8900

District: Forest Lake Public School District

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Forest Lake Area Middle School
High:	Forest Lake Area High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.7%

Asian:

11.6%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Columbus Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 80th percentile in 2015 → 83rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (64% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of Minnesota elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Forest Lake Public School District

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg50%

Minnesota avg47%

145^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 17%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Elementary Schools in the Forest Lake Public School District

200^th of 446Forest Lake Public School District 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	80.4	145 of 872	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	156 of 881	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	230 of 845	72.8%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	223 of 858	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	80.5	128 of 869	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	216 of 870	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	74.6	194 of 847	77.1%	★★★★☆
2017	71.6	243 of 853	71.5%	★★★★☆
2016	73.5	208 of 848	75.5%	★★★★☆
2015	76.0	172 of 840	79.5%	★★★★☆
2014	81.5	87 of 826	89.5%	★★★★☆
2013	69.1	250 of 824	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.1	246 of 820	70.0%	★★★★☆
2011	75.3	151 of 814	81.4%	★★★★☆
2010	76.4	119 of 803	85.2%	★★★★☆
2008	77.7	107 of 781	86.3%	★★★★☆
2007	80.7	77 of 777	90.1%	★★★★★
2006	80.6	80 of 756	89.4%	★★★★☆
2005	63.7	252 of 685	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.7	188 of 676	72.2%	★★★★☆
2003	68.5	196 of 674	70.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	71 of 140	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.7	70 of 154	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	81.5	112 of 799	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	100 of 809	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	159 of 787	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	205 of 799	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	82.6	79 of 783	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	71.8	208 of 787	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	65.8	285 of 774	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	85.8	54 of 764	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	77.8	113 of 793	85.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	187 of 774	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	69.4	169 of 683	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	80.8	73 of 740	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	77.3	99 of 728	86.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	180 of 812	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.6	234 of 826	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.6	359 of 799	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.7	228 of 808	71.8%	★★★★☆
2021	73.5	178 of 784	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	68.9	248 of 798	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.5	163 of 779	79.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	220 of 562	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.6	100 of 500	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.0	81 of 417	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	145 of 515	71.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	162 of 714	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	179 of 730	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	201 of 712	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	62.6	246 of 725	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.3	150 of 710	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	56.3	323 of 722	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	284 of 712	60.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)77th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2025)61st percentile-23 vs school

Asian (2025)49th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math65%+20 vs state

Reading62%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Columbus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	17345 Notre Dame St	Forest Lake	55025	Anoka County	Forest Lake Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 982-8900	441	22	20.1	18.4%	356 (80.7%)	4 (0.9%)	14 (3.2%)	51 (11.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)	80.4	145^th of 872 public elementary schools	83.4%		78.4	156^th of 881 public elementary schools	82.3%	11	73.3	71.4	53.9	61.0	65.4	54.7	52.9	69.2	74.6	62.1	$11,912
North Lakes Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-6	4576 232nd St N	Forest Lake	55025	Washington County	North Lakes Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 982-2773	220	16	13.6	46.4%	181 (82.3%)	4 (1.8%)	12 (5.5%)	8 (3.6%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.5%)	42	551^st of 872 public elementary schools	36.8%		48.7	506^th of 881 public elementary schools	42.6%	45	66.7	42.9	24.4	45.2	42.0	44.4	25.7	40.9	56.3	41.3
Forest View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	620 SW 4th St	Forest Lake	55025	Washington County	Forest Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 982-8200	345	22	15.6	51.0%	216 (62.6%)	12 (3.5%)	45 (13.0%)	38 (11.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.6%)								(n/a)	44.3				44.3	35.8				35.8	$13,799
LILA Kinder Center	Public, Charter	PK-K	121 SE 11th Ave	Forest Lake	55025	Washington County	Lakes International Language Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 464-0771	0	7	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$8,646
LILA Lower School	Public, Charter	1-5	246 SE 11th Ave	Forest Lake	55025	Washington County	Lakes International Language Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 464-0771	607	41	14.8	20.8%	436 (71.8%)	22 (3.6%)	84 (13.8%)	34 (5.6%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.0%)	42.8	542^nd of 872 public elementary schools	37.8%		52.4	462^nd of 881 public elementary schools	47.6%	80	44.0	49.6	50.5		47.9	27.2	37.2	60.0		40.5	$9,418
Wyoming Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	25701 Forest Blvd N	Wyoming	55092	Chisago County	Forest Lake Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 982-8000	447	25	17.9	23.7%	372 (83.2%)	6 (1.3%)	21 (4.7%)	28 (6.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.8%)	69.9	268^th of 872 public elementary schools	69.3%		75.5	192^nd of 881 public elementary schools	78.2%	76	70.5	65.1	56.9	57.5	62.1	59.0	41.3	54.2	54.8	52.4	$11,377
Linwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	21900 Typo Creek Dr NE	Wyoming	55092	Anoka County	Forest Lake Public School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 982-1900	400	24	16.4	24.5%	343 (85.8%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.5%)	11 (2.8%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)	66.1	313^th of 872 public elementary schools	64.1%		58.3	399^th of 881 public elementary schools	54.7%	86	58.5	65.4	54.9	39.6	54.8	50.8	49.1	64.7	54.7	54.5	$11,780
Lino Lakes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	725 Main Street	Lino Lakes	55014	Anoka County	Forest Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 982-8850	501	30	16.5	32.1%	317 (63.3%)	48 (9.6%)	29 (5.8%)	55 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (10.4%)	56.3	413^th of 872 public elementary schools	52.6%		65.4	310^th of 881 public elementary schools	64.8%	103	69.7	40.0	38.4	40.6	47.0	50.0	40.0	60.3	54.7	51.5	$10,330
Oneka Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4888 Heritage Pkwy N	Hugo	55038	Washington County	White Bear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 288-1800	463	34	13.6	24.4%	338 (73.0%)	28 (6.0%)	30 (6.5%)	31 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.8%)	57.8	395^th of 872 public elementary schools	54.7%		64.2	320^th of 881 public elementary schools	63.7%	75	51.6	54.1	42.0		48.9	53.2	41.9	65.4		53.9	$11,004
Sunrise Elementary	Public	K-5	12576 Lever St NE	Blaine	55449	Anoka County	Anoka-Hennepin School District	No	No	No	No	(763) 433-5000	1,015	61	16.5	22.2%	630 (62.1%)	186 (18.3%)	33 (3.3%)	91 (9.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	72 (7.1%)	87.8	66^th of 872 public elementary schools	92.4%		88	61^st of 881 public elementary schools	93.1%	5	81.0	78.3	81.0		80.1	61.9	58.9	72.8		64.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus Elementary

Is Columbus Elementary a good school?

Columbus Elementary ranks 145^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Columbus Elementary attend?

Students who attend Columbus Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Forest Lake Area Middle School
High : Forest Lake Area High School

How many students attend Columbus Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 441 students attended Columbus Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Columbus Elementary?

Students at Columbus Elementary are 81% White, 12% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Columbus Elementary in?

Forest Lake Public School District

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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.