Summary:
ZIP code 56401, which covers the Brainerd area of central Minnesota, contains 2 high schools — Brainerd Senior High (grades 9–12) and Independent School District (Isd) 181 Learning Center (grades 8–12) — both part of the Brainerd Public School District, serving about 1,971 high school students combined.
Brainerd Senior High is by far the larger school, with 1,805 students — about 91.6% of the area's high school enrollment — and a free/reduced lunch rate of 31.52%. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate is 93.9%, well above the district (86.1%) and state (84.9%), and its dropout rate is a low 1.0%. It ranks 199th of 473 schools (58th percentile, 3 stars). Science is its standout: 36.3% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, versus 26.2% in the district and 25.5% statewide. Its all-grade math (35.6%) and reading (38.6%) scores, however, trail district and state levels and declined year over year, though its 11th-grade math score (35.6%) was above the district (30.8%).
The Learning Center is much smaller (166 students) with a higher free/reduced lunch rate (52.41%) and a lower student-teacher ratio (14.8 vs. 19.9). Despite smaller classes, outcomes are far lower: a 52.3% graduation rate, a 3.5% dropout rate (above the district's 1.4% but below the state's 4.2%), and 2025–2026 proficiency of 5.5% in math, 17.4% in reading, and 16.7% in science. It ranks 422nd of 473 (11th percentile, 1 star). The Brainerd Public School District's overall 46th-percentile, 2-star rating sits between these two very different schools, so parents should look at each school individually.
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