Summary:
Zip code 55723 in Cook, Minnesota is served by a single secondary school: North Woods Secondary, a grade 7–12 school with 245 students operating in the St. Louis County School District. Because it is the only school in this area, the most meaningful comparisons are between this school, its own district, and the state of Minnesota.
The school is clearly improving. In 2025-2026 it ranked 281st of 473 schools (41st percentile, 2 stars), up from 343rd of 450 (24th percentile, 1 star) in 2024-2025 — a 63-position jump and a full star above its district, which sits at the 29th percentile with 1 star. Reading and Science both trended upward year over year (+4.6 and +5.2 points at all grades), while Math slipped from 20.39 to 17.9. Reading is the strength: 43.2% proficient at all grades, above the district's 40.8%, and 10th grade Reading (47.4%) beats both the district (32.8%) and the state (42.5%). Math is the clear weakness — 17.9% proficient at all grades versus 31.7% district and 44.9% state, with 11th grade Math at 9.1% (district 12.3%, state 35.3%) and every grade level trailing the state by 17 to 27 points. 8th grade Science (8.3%) is another soft spot.
Graduation is a bright spot: 90.9%, above the state's 84.9% but below the district's 93.2%. The dropout rate is 4.5% (district 3.3%, state 4.2%), and 41.22% of students receive free or reduced lunch. Staffing looks favorable, with a 13.8 student-teacher ratio, but with roughly 40 students per grade, each student represents about 2.5 percentage points — so small score swings should be read as directional rather than precise. Overall, families should note a school that gets students to graduation and is rising in the ranks, with Math as its defining opportunity.
Thank you for your feedback!