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North Branch Area High School

Public Grades 9-12

357^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 450 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 21% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

North Branch Area High School is a public high school in North Branch, Minnesota, serving 815 students in grades 9-12 as part of the North Branch Area Public Schools district.

Despite its location, North Branch Area High School has consistently underperformed, ranking in the bottom half of Minnesota high schools over the past several years with a 1-3 star rating on the SchoolDigger scale. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as female students, male students, white students, and students with special needs. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate has declined from 88.9% in 2023-2024 to 83.3% in 2022-2023, which is below the state average, and its dropout rate has increased from 2.6% to 6.6% during the same period, significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Chisago Lakes Senior High, North Branch Area High School generally performs worse on standardized tests and has lower graduation rates. The school's high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 13.45% to 31.75% over the past few years, suggests that socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the school's overall low performance. The presence of alternative schools, such as Distance Learning Academy Secondary and Norse Area Learning Center, in close proximity to North Branch Area High School may also be impacting the school's enrollment and resources.

791

Students ?

19.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,321

Per pupil spending ?

24.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

38175 Grand Ave
North Branch, MN 55056-0370

(651) 674-1500

District: North Branch Area Public Schools

Feeder schools for North Branch Area High School:

Elementary:	Sunrise River Elementary School
Middle:	North Branch Area Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.9%

Hispanic:

5.6%

Two or more races:

5.3%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare North Branch Area High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓89% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (25% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 38 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg41%

Minnesota avg47%

357^th of 450

Minnesota public high schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 38 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	25.6	357 of 450	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	349 of 480	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	364 of 476	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	58.8	210 of 472	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.2	281 of 428	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.5	300 of 492	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.2	263 of 494	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	73.7	131 of 489	73.2%	★★★★☆
2016	67.3	171 of 489	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.1	207 of 504	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.9	206 of 483	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.2	96 of 534	82.0%	★★★★☆
2012	73.0	140 of 539	74.0%	★★★★☆
2011	75.7	98 of 545	82.0%	★★★★☆
2010	79.3	64 of 540	88.1%	★★★★☆
2009	66.5	97 of 234	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.6	229 of 460	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.5	241 of 463	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.1	306 of 450	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	55.5	305 of 452	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	59.8	264 of 433	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	38.1	41 of 70	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.6	69 of 78	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	70 of 71	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.4	67 of 68	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	306 of 358	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.0	272 of 403	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	302 of 396	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	55.6	191 of 388	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.5	225 of 339	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.7	277 of 401	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.5	233 of 395	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	82.8	16 of 145	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	58.3	48 of 135	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	291 of 333	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	346 of 389	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	303 of 393	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.0	159 of 312	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.4	171 of 270	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	281 of 370	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.2	187 of 374	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	316 of 377	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	356 of 405	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	344 of 398	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.7	210 of 403	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.7	286 of 351	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	285 of 411	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.8	266 of 398	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	162 of 178	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	210 of 221	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	132 of 216	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	178 of 214	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	162 of 173	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	50.6	105 of 220	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.9	115 of 195	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	349 of 376	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	357 of 402	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	368 of 398	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	48.7	232 of 401	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.5	287 of 364	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	330 of 412	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.6	299 of 414	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2024)89th percentile+62 vs school

Asian (2025)41st percentile+21 vs school

Male (2025)16th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading33%-17 vs state

Math17%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near North Branch Area High School

School	Students/Teachers	Ranking (2025)	Ranking (2024)	MCA-III Math (2025)	MCA-III Reading (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
North Branch Area High School	Public	9-12	38175 Grand Ave	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 674-1500	791	40	19.7	24.9%	656 (82.9%)	6 (0.8%)	44 (5.6%)	39 (4.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.3%)	25.6	357^th of 450 public high schools	20.7%	31.5	349^th of 480 public high schools	27.3%	8	17.0	17.0	32.6	32.6	$12,321
Chisago County Schools' Life Work C	Public	9-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	St. Croix River Education District	No	No	No	No	(320) 358-1214	29	3	9.6	10.3%	25 (86.2%)	2 (6.9%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)							(n/a)
Norse Area Learning Center	Public	7-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 674-1406	41	4	9.8	51.2%	32 (78.0%)	2 (4.9%)	3 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)							(n/a)					$10,420
Distance Learning Academy Secondary	Public, Virtual	6-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(651) 674-1000	52	3	19.9	32.7%	49 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)							(n/a)		21.4		41.7	$11,081
Wildcat Academy High School	Public	9-12	29678 Karmel Ave	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 213-2000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()							(n/a)
Trio Wolf Creek Distance Learning	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	10363 Liberty Ln	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Trio Wolf Creek Distance Learning	Yes	No	Yes	No	(651) 213-2017	191	11	16.8	33.0%	151 (79.1%)	5 (2.6%)	13 (6.8%)	3 (1.6%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.4%)	20.3	377^th of 450 public high schools	16.2%	18.4	399^th of 480 public high schools	16.9%	22	8.8	8.8	34.8	34.8	$9,913
Trio Wolf Creek Charter School	Public	9-12	10363 Liberty Lane	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2017	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()							(n/a)
Chisago Lakes Senior High	Public	9-12	29400 Olinda Tr	Lindstrom	55045	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2500	1,053	69	15.1	21.6%	947 (89.9%)	14 (1.3%)	27 (2.6%)	17 (1.6%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.0%)	62.7	182^nd of 450 public high schools	59.6%	72.3	128^th of 480 public high schools	73.3%	54	32.6	32.6	52.3	52.3	$12,347
Chisago Lakes High School Alt Learning Prog	Public	9-12	29400 Olinda Tr	Lindstrom	55045	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2500	1	0			1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)							(n/a)					$5,735
Rum River East Education Program	Public	10-12	1730 3rd Ave NE	Cambridge	55008	Isanti County	Rum River Special Education Coop	No	No	No	No	(763) 552-6800	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()							(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about North Branch Area High School

What schools feed into North Branch Area High School?

North Branch Area High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Sunrise River Elementary School
Middle : North Branch Area Middle School

What is the racial makeup of North Branch Area High School?

Students at North Branch Area High School are 83% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend North Branch Area High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 791 students attended North Branch Area High School.

Is North Branch Area High School a good school?

North Branch Area High School ranks in the bottom 20.7% of Minnesota high schools.

What district is North Branch Area High School in?

North Branch Area Public Schools

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Schools in North Branch, MN

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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.

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 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
North Branch Area High School	Public	9-12	38175 Grand Ave	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 674-1500	791	40	19.7	24.9%	656 (82.9%)	6 (0.8%)	44 (5.6%)	39 (4.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.3%)	25.6	357^th of 450 public high schools	20.7%		31.5	349^th of 480 public high schools	27.3%	8	17.0	17.0	32.6	32.6	$12,321
Chisago County Schools' Life Work C	Public	9-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	St. Croix River Education District	No	No	No	No	(320) 358-1214	29	3	9.6	10.3%	25 (86.2%)	2 (6.9%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Norse Area Learning Center	Public	7-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 674-1406	41	4	9.8	51.2%	32 (78.0%)	2 (4.9%)	3 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.9%)								(n/a)					$10,420
Distance Learning Academy Secondary	Public, Virtual	6-12	38423 Lincoln Trail	North Branch	55056	Chisago County	North Branch Area Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(651) 674-1000	52	3	19.9	32.7%	49 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)								(n/a)		21.4		41.7	$11,081
Wildcat Academy High School	Public	9-12	29678 Karmel Ave	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 213-2000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Trio Wolf Creek Distance Learning	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	10363 Liberty Ln	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Trio Wolf Creek Distance Learning	Yes	No	Yes	No	(651) 213-2017	191	11	16.8	33.0%	151 (79.1%)	5 (2.6%)	13 (6.8%)	3 (1.6%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.4%)	20.3	377^th of 450 public high schools	16.2%		18.4	399^th of 480 public high schools	16.9%	22	8.8	8.8	34.8	34.8	$9,913
Trio Wolf Creek Charter School	Public	9-12	10363 Liberty Lane	Chisago City	55013	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2017	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Chisago Lakes Senior High	Public	9-12	29400 Olinda Tr	Lindstrom	55045	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2500	1,053	69	15.1	21.6%	947 (89.9%)	14 (1.3%)	27 (2.6%)	17 (1.6%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (4.0%)	62.7	182^nd of 450 public high schools	59.6%		72.3	128^th of 480 public high schools	73.3%	54	32.6	32.6	52.3	52.3	$12,347
Chisago Lakes High School Alt Learning Prog	Public	9-12	29400 Olinda Tr	Lindstrom	55045	Chisago County	Chisago Lakes School District	No	No	No	No	(651) 213-2500	1	0			1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$5,735
Rum River East Education Program	Public	10-12	1730 3rd Ave NE	Cambridge	55008	Isanti County	Rum River Special Education Coop	No	No	No	No	(763) 552-6800	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)