Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Detroit Lakes

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Washington Avenue at Front Street looking south, Detroit Lakes, MinnesotaPhoto: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
B
Schools in Detroit Lakes · Detroit Lakes Public School District

Detroit Lakes’s public schools outscore 56% of Minnesota districts

The grade covers the public school district serving Detroit Lakes, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Minnesota, not nationally.

#194of 274 Minnesota townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Minnesota state tests taken in spring 2022, when 93% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
54%
▲ 3 pts vs MN 51%
2021–22
Math proficiency
45%
▲ 0 pts vs MN 45%
2021–22
Graduate on time
82%
▼ 1 pts vs MN 83%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$15.4K
▼ 10% vs MN $17.1K
FY2024
Students per teacher
14.0
MN 14.8 · smaller classes
Schools in town
8
2,616 students on the public path
In brief

Detroit Lakes’s schools, in brief

Above the state on tests

Reading proficiency is 54% and math 45% in spring 2022, against 51% and 45% statewide; 82% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 83%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $15,411 per student, against $17,091 across Minnesota (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

Two elementary schools, then one middle and one high school

Which elementary school depends on the address; from grade 6 the district’s path is Detroit Lakes Middle, then Detroit Lakes Senior High. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

Holy Rosary (private) is in town. E-Laker Online School, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Detroit Lakes’s grade

B+ Test scoresC Graduation

B: better than 56% of Minnesota school districts, #194 of 274 Minnesota towns. Test scores are above the Minnesota average; graduation is below it.

Minnesota school districts we grade (502)Better than 56%
Lower resultsHigher results
Minnesota towns with similar household incomes (974)Better than 55%
B−B+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,334 test results and a graduating class of 251 could put Detroit Lakes anywhere from B− to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 93% of Detroit Lakes’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,318 in math, 1,349 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Detroit Lakes, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressB to A−
6–8Detroit Lakes MiddleDetroit Lakes Public School DistrictC
9–12Detroit Lakes Senior HighDetroit Lakes Public School DistrictB+

Detroit Lakes’s public schools are run by Detroit Lakes Public School District, which also serves Callaway, Callaway, Detroit and Erie and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Detroit Lakes Public School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 9 schools · 2,728 students, down 3% since 2021–22 · 14.0 per teacher (MN 14.8)
$15,411MN $17,091 · FY2024
B
Test scores · 2021–22

Above the state in reading

Reading54%
State average 51.1% · 1349 students tested
Math45%
State average 44.8% · 1318 students tested

Detroit Lakes vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Minnesota towns that share Detroit Lakes’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Detroit LakesBDetroit Lakes Public
DetroitBDetroit Lakes Public
Lake ViewBDetroit Lakes Public
BurlingtonB−Frazee-Vergas Public

2 of the 3 neighbors share Detroit Lakes Public with Detroit Lakes, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.

Every school in Detroit Lakes

9 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Minnesota’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Detroit Lakesby address
Rossman Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–5
A−
565 students13:1Rate it →
Roosevelt Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–5
B
562 students12:1Rate it →
Lincoln Early Childhood Ed. Center
Prekindergarten · Grades PK
64 studentsRate it →
Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten
Prekindergarten · Grades PK
17 studentsRate it →
Detroit Lakes Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8
C
617 students16:1Rate it →
Detroit Lakes Senior High
High · Grades 9–12
B+
791 students15:1Rate it →
Other district programsby referral or application
Detroit Lakes Area Learning Center
High · Grades 9–12
C−
Alternative Education
57 students10:1Rate it →
Online schools based in Detroit Lakesnot counted as local schools
E-Laker Online School
High · Grades 9–12
Online
38 studentsRate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
Holy Rosary
Elementary · Grades PK–8
Private · Catholic
151 students12:1Rate it →

Left off: 6 public programs with fewer than 25 students (Detroit Lakes Alternative Program, Detroit Lakes Middle Alc, Afterschool Program, HS Extended Year Program, Laker Transitions and Out of State Care and Treatment).

Questions about Detroit Lakes’s schools

Are Detroit Lakes’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of Minnesota: the public schools Detroit Lakes children attend outscore 56% of Minnesota’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #194 of 274 Minnesota towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 55%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Detroit Lakes in?

Detroit Lakes Public School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,728 students in 9 schools (2024–25).

Where do Detroit Lakes kids go to high school?

Detroit Lakes Senior High, with 791 students; its own test results earn a B+.

What is Detroit Lakes’s graduation rate?

82% of the class of 2023 in Detroit Lakes Public School District graduated in four years, against 83% across Minnesota.

How much does Detroit Lakes spend per student?

$15,411 in Detroit Lakes Public School District (FY2024), against $17,091 across Minnesota. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Detroit Lakes?

Yes: Holy Rosary (Catholic, grades PK–8, 151 students).

Parents talk

What Detroit Lakes families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Detroit Lakes → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Minnesota. Stars are from neighbors.