Best Public Schools in Zip Code 55014

ZIP code 55014—covering Circle Pines, Lino Lakes, and Blaine—has 17 schools and 6,853 students across six elementary, one middle, nine high, and one alternative school. The “nine high schools” figure is misleading: Centennial High School is the only large comprehensive high school, with 2,067 students, while the other eight high schools together enroll only about 190 students. Centennial Public School District operates 14 of the 17 schools and enrolls 6,244 students, about 91.1% of the ZIP total. Forest Lake Public School District operates Lino Lakes Elementary, while Northeast Metro 916 and Minnesota Department of Corrections run specialized programs.

Academically, Rice Lake Elementary is the clear standout: 5 stars, 97th percentile, with 80.8% math, 73.7% reading, and 50.4% science, and the lowest reported free/reduced-lunch rate at 11.79%. Blue Heron Elementary is also strong at 4 stars and 81st percentile, with 65.7% math and 61.4% reading. Centennial High School earns 4 stars and 85th percentile, with a 94.8% graduation rate and 1.0% dropout rate, though its rank slipped from the 90th percentile and reading fell. Centennial Middle, the only middle school, enrolls 1,595 students but dropped to 77th percentile; science is 15.6%, below district and state, and its 26.7 student-teacher ratio is the ZIP’s highest. Lino Lakes Elementary ranks at the 50th percentile, down from 65th, with 14.1% science.

Science is often the weakest subject: Centennial Middle, Lino Lakes Elementary, Golden Lake Elementary, Centennial Elementary, and Karner Blue Education Center all fall below the state science average of 25.5%. Centennial Public School District overall ranks in the 87th percentile and 4 stars, while Forest Lake Public School District is at the 62nd percentile and 3 stars. Specialized alternative schools such as Karner Blue Education Center, Centennial Area Learning Center, and the Pines School - ACS serve smaller populations, often with high free/reduced-lunch rates, and many have state-suppressed test scores shown as “—”; those should be treated as unknown, not as zero. For parents, ZIP 55014 has strong options, especially Rice Lake Elementary and Centennial High School, but also meaningful variation by school and subject, with science and middle-school trends worth watching.