Best High Schools in Zip Code 56470

ZIP code 56470 (Park Rapids, Minnesota) is home to three high schools — Park Rapids Area High School (grades 7–12), Headwaters Educ Learning Program (grades 9–12), and Park Rapids Virtual Academy High (grades 7–12) — all within the Park Rapids Public School District. Total high-school enrollment is 491 students, and it is heavily concentrated: Park Rapids Area High School enrolls 420 students, about 85.5% of the ZIP's high-schoolers, while Headwaters has 50 (about 10.2%) and the Virtual Academy has 21 (about 4.3%).

The three schools look very different. Park Rapids Area High School is the largest and the only one with a ranking history: it moved from 3 stars and the 56th percentile in 2023–24 to 2 stars and the mid-30s percentile in 2024–25 and 2025–26. Its science results are comparatively strong — in 2024–25 science proficiency was above both district and state, and in 2025–26 it was above the district but below the state. Math and reading are weaker, running below both district and state; 8th grade math was 15.5% against a state rate of 42.3%. Its graduation rate is 81.3% and dropout rate 8.2% — above the district's 77.4% graduation rate, but its dropout rate is roughly double the state's 4.2%. Headwaters Educ Learning Program has the highest free/reduced lunch rate at 74%, a graduation rate of 33.3%, and a dropout rate of 13.3%, far from district and state figures; its school-level test scores are suppressed, so proficiency can't be compared. Park Rapids Virtual Academy High reports one school-level science score of 40%, above district and state, but with only 21 students and most scores suppressed, that is a signal to investigate rather than a firm conclusion.

For families, the practical takeaway is that most students attend one large comprehensive school, with two much smaller alternative and online options alongside it. Comparing outcomes across them is difficult because several test values are suppressed. Parents may want to ask specifically about math and reading supports at Park Rapids Area High School, and about graduation and dropout supports at Headwaters.