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Mountain Lake Secondary

Q: Is Mountain Lake Secondary a good school?

Mountain Lake Secondary ranks 78 th of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

78^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 473 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 84% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

Mountain Lake Secondary is a public school serving grades 7–12 with 241 students in Mountain Lake, a small community in southwestern Minnesota, and is part of Mountain Lake Public Schools. It draws students from the town and the surrounding rural area, with about 56% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

In SchoolDigger's 2025–2026 rankings, the school placed 78th of 473 Minnesota schools — the 84th percentile, with 4 stars. That continues a clear upward trend: 45th percentile in 2022–2023, then 53rd, 64th, and now 84th. Among nearby traditional high schools, it holds the strongest current standing. Windom Senior High sits at the 44th percentile with 2 stars, St. James Middle/High School at 38th with 2 stars, and Butterfield Secondary at 18th with 1 star. SWWC Alternative Learning Center - Windom is at the 0th percentile, and Comfrey Secondary has no current rank; its most recent was the 18th percentile in 2023–2024. The district ranks 168th of 458 in Minnesota.

Completion is the school's standout strength: a 95.3% graduation rate and 2.3% dropout rate in 2024–2025, far ahead of St. James (69.1% and 18.5%), Windom (86.3% and 7.3%) and Butterfield (70.3% and 7.4%). Test scores are solid for the region but slightly below state averages: math 41.5%, reading 46.9% and science 24.1%. Results vary widely by grade — 11th-grade math is 55.2% versus the state's 35.3%, while 8th-grade science is 6.7% versus 16.7% and 8th-grade math also trails the state. Effectiveness rankings are uneven across student groups as well: low-income students rank at the 73rd percentile, up sharply from the 42nd two years earlier, while rankings for Hispanic students and students in special education are among the lowest, making those the clearest areas to watch.

241

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,285

Per pupil spending ?

56.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

450 12th St N
Mountain Lake, MN 56159-8888

(507) 427-2325

District: Mountain Lake Public Schools

Feeder schools for Mountain Lake Secondary:

Elementary:

Mountain Lake Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.0%

Hispanic:

28.6%

Asian:

7.9%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Mountain Lake Secondary to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Minnesota high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (85%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 54 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school39%

District avg40%

Minnesota avg43%

Middle school

253^rd of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 23 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

78^th of 473

Minnesota public high schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 53 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

168^th of 458Mountain Lake Public Schools 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	51.9	253 of 546	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.1	325 of 519	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	296 of 545	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.9	263 of 529	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.4	208 of 520	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.8	115 of 521	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.5	142 of 533	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	142 of 518	72.6%	★★★★☆
2017	41.2	336 of 523	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.7	351 of 508	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.3	325 of 516	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	19.5	418 of 490	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	44.9	297 of 488	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	38.2	343 of 469	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.6	394 of 478	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.5	372 of 454	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.0	186 of 230	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	53.5	226 of 409	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.5	247 of 403	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	71.6	96 of 406	76.4%	★★★★☆
2005	58.6	200 of 396	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	12.3	350 of 387	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	200 of 467	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.6	255 of 450	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	305 of 474	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.0	171 of 455	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	209 of 467	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.2	87 of 443	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	47.7	248 of 439	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.4	214 of 436	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	40 of 195	79.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.2	22 of 175	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	38.0	113 of 186	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.0	70 of 178	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	45 of 188	76.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	135 of 458	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	57.3	161 of 432	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	214 of 473	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	225 of 459	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	120 of 404	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	82.0	24 of 399	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	82.4	29 of 415	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	75.7	63 of 401	84.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	295 of 483	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.9	353 of 452	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.9	251 of 479	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.2	303 of 464	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.1	171 of 476	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.2	117 of 437	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	68 of 454	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	84 of 438	80.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	15.2	284 of 296	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	205 of 265	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	233 of 435	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.8	328 of 415	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.7	295 of 440	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	239 of 436	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.1	208 of 438	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	99 of 422	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	69.0	103 of 428	75.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	121 of 428	71.7%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	79.7	78 of 473	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	65.7	163 of 450	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	224 of 480	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.3	264 of 476	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.9	192 of 472	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.1	95 of 428	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	45.0	305 of 492	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.6	209 of 494	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.5	226 of 489	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	38.6	340 of 489	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	73.3	127 of 504	74.8%	★★★★☆
2014	58.4	240 of 483	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.5	271 of 534	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.3	271 of 539	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.8	293 of 545	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	58.5	272 of 540	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	72.7	69 of 234	70.5%	★★★★☆
2008	48.5	305 of 460	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.6	301 of 463	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	82.7	65 of 450	85.6%	★★★★☆
2005	62.0	261 of 452	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.3	329 of 433	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	151 of 398	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	85.6	33 of 358	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	44.7	242 of 403	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.8	339 of 396	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.6	274 of 388	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	66.6	109 of 339	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	271 of 401	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	245 of 395	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	126 of 135	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	36.6	90 of 145	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.8	127 of 132	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	51.3	56 of 129	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	67.3	101 of 377	73.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.7	93 of 333	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	45.3	227 of 389	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.6	137 of 393	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.2	40 of 312	87.2%	★★★★☆
2021	91.4	9 of 270	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	43.4	223 of 370	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.8	82 of 374	78.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	86.1	38 of 395	90.4%	★★★★★
2025	38.3	254 of 377	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.6	177 of 405	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	159 of 398	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.3	102 of 403	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.0	90 of 351	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	33.9	305 of 411	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.2	155 of 398	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	218 of 224	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	85.1	30 of 394	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	64.3	126 of 376	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.8	55 of 402	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	50.1	205 of 398	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.9	166 of 401	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.3	72 of 364	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	54.7	205 of 412	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.4	104 of 414	74.9%	★★★★☆

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

Hispanic (2026)79th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)46th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-50 vs school

High school

White (2026)92nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)90th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile-10 vs school

Female (2026)62nd percentile-21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile-77 vs school

Special Education (2026)3rd percentile-81 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading47%~ state avg

Math42%-3 vs state

Science24%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Mountain Lake Secondary

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Mountain Lake Secondary	Public	7-12	450 12th St N	Mountain Lake	56159	Cottonwood County	Mountain Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(507) 427-2325	241	17	13.8	56.0%	135 (56.0%)	2 (0.8%)	69 (28.6%)	19 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (6.2%)	79.7	78^th of 473 public high schools	83.5%		65.7	163^rd of 450 public high schools	63.8%	85		41.9	51.1	47.6	46.9	6.7	42.9	24.1		40.9	33.3	55.2	41.5	$14,285
Butterfield Secondary	Public	7-12	440 Hubbard Ave	Butterfield	56120	Watonwan County	Butterfield-Odin Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(507) 956-2771	103	9	11.0	64.1%	35 (34.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (63.1%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	20.6	388^th of 473 public high schools	18.0%		16.1	390^th of 450 public high schools	13.3%	2		33.3	17.6	15.4	22.2	0.0	14.3	6.5		21.4	35.3	21.4	26.7	$15,766
SWWC Alternative Learning Center - Windom	Public	9-12	1454 6th Ave	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(507) 537-2258	41	3	13.6	63.4%	28 (68.3%)	3 (7.3%)	5 (12.2%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	3 (7.3%)	4	472^nd of 473 public high schools	0.2%					(n/a)				0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0				0.0	0.0
Starrs Online Academy	Public	6-12	1012 5th Avenue	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(507) 360-1876	0	5	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Windom Learn Center Credit Recovery	Public	9-12	1400 17th St	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Region 6 and 8-SW/Wc Service Coop	No	No	No	No	(507) 831-6910	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Windom Senior High	Public	9-12	1400 17th St	Windom	56101	Cottonwood County	Windom Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 831-6910	327	23	14.1	46.8%	201 (61.5%)	2 (0.6%)	95 (29.1%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	11 (3.4%)	47.4	266^th of 473 public high schools	43.8%		71.7	128^th of 450 public high schools	71.6%	138				30.3	30.3		26.3	26.3				38.4	38.4	$15,372
Comfrey Secondary	Public	7-12	305 Ochre St W	Comfrey	56019	Brown County	Comfrey Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 877-3491	47	5	8.6	40.4%	43 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					45.0			8.3					25.0	$14,138
St. James Middle/High School	Public	6-12	1001 10th Ave N	Saint James	56081	Watonwan County	St. James Public School District	No	No	No	No	(507) 375-3381	566	40	14.2	53.5%	229 (40.5%)	2 (0.4%)	325 (57.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	40.3	294^th of 473 public high schools	37.8%		50.3	254^th of 450 public high schools	43.6%	40	50.0	36.5	41.2	35.5	40.6	11.5	27.6	18.6	34.8	31.1	47.4	19.7	34.7	$12,737

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Lake Secondary

How many students attend Mountain Lake Secondary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended Mountain Lake Secondary.

What is the racial makeup of Mountain Lake Secondary?

Students at Mountain Lake Secondary are 56% White, 29% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Mountain Lake Secondary?

Mountain Lake Secondary is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Mountain Lake Elementary

Is Mountain Lake Secondary a good school?

Mountain Lake Secondary ranks 78^th of 473 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Mountain Lake Secondary in?

Mountain Lake Public Schools

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Schools in Mountain Lake, MN

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 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.