Summary:
ZIP code 56474 contains two high schools, both part of the Pine River-Backus School District in Minnesota: Pine River-Backus High School, a comprehensive school serving grades 7 through 12 with 371 students, and Pine River-Backus ALP, an alternative program serving grades 9 through 12 with just 57 students. The Pine River-Backus School District ranks 307 of 458 Minnesota districts, or the 33rd percentile with 2 stars.
The two schools differ sharply in size, staffing, and completion outcomes. Pine River-Backus High School has a student-teacher ratio of 14.2 and a 96.4% graduation rate, above both the district (85.5%) and the state (84.9%), with a 0.0% dropout rate compared with the state's 4.2%. Pine River-Backus ALP has a much higher student-teacher ratio of 23.8 and a graduation rate of 52.6%, roughly 33 percentage points below the district and state, even though it also reports a 0.0% dropout rate. Free and reduced lunch rates are similar at both schools, between about 56% and 58%.
Academically, results are mixed. In 2025-2026, Pine River-Backus High School trailed the state in every all-grades subject: math 23.0 vs 44.9, reading 33.9 vs 48.6, and science 11.6 vs 25.5. Its brightest spot is 7th grade reading at 44.0%, slightly above the state's 43.5%, while its widest gaps are 8th grade math (19.4% vs 42.3%) and Science End of Course (14.3% vs 35.0%). For Pine River-Backus ALP, most 2025-2026 scores are suppressed by the state and remain unknown; its only reported value, 2024-2025 all-grades math, is 0. Rank history is low for both schools, with Pine River-Backus High School in the 20th to 22nd percentile and ALP in the 13th to 17th percentile.
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