Detroit Lakes Senior High

Summary:

Detroit Lakes Senior High is a public high school serving 865 students in grades 9-12 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, part of the Detroit Lakes Public School District. This high-performing school consistently ranks among the top high schools in Minnesota, with strong academic achievement, exceptional graduation rates, and effective support for diverse student populations.

Detroit Lakes Senior High has maintained a 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, indicating consistently strong academic performance. The school's four-year graduation rates have ranged from 87.3% to 93.5% over the past five years, significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby alternative schools like Detroit Lakes Area Learning Center (40.0% in 2021-2022). Detroit Lakes Senior High also outperforms the state and district averages on standardized tests, with proficiency rates of 43.72% in math, 60.34% in reading, and 46.6% in science in the 2023-2024 school year.

Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (36.88% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023), Detroit Lakes Senior High has consistently ranked among the top schools in the state for the performance of its low-income students. The school also stands out for its diverse student population, with a significant Native American student population (15.26% in 2022-2023) and effective support and programming for this group. In comparison, nearby alternative schools like Laker Transitions and Detroit Lakes Area Learning Center serve smaller student populations and have significantly lower academic performance and graduation rates.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1301 Roosevelt Ave
       Detroit Lakes, MN  56501-4499


(218) 847-4491

District: Detroit Lakes Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
87th of 480 Minnesota High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,724 Help


Feeder schools for Detroit Lakes Senior High:

Elementary:    Roosevelt Elementary
    Rossman Elementary
Middle:    Detroit Lakes Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  15.6 Help
Number of students:  851

Racial breakdown:

White:
76.6%
American Indian:
15.2%
Two or more races:
3.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  37.7% Help


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 Compare Detroit Lakes Senior High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Detroit Lakes Senior High ranks better than 81.9% of high schools in Minnesota. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 77.82. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Detroit Lakes Senior High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Detroit Lakes Senior High has the largest high school student body size in the Detroit Lakes Public School District. Racial makeup is: White (76.6%), American Indian (15.2%), two or more races (3.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 37.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Detroit Lakes Senior High is 15.6. 2 high schools in the Detroit Lakes Public School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Detroit Lakes Senior High employs 54.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Detroit Lakes Senior High is $13,724, which is the 2nd highest among 2 high schools in the Detroit Lakes Public School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Detroit Lakes Senior High:

SchoolDigger ranks Detroit Lakes Senior High 87th of 480 Minnesota public high schools. (See Detroit Lakes Senior High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Native American students:
White students:


Detroit Lakes Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Detroit Lakes Public School District 187th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Detroit Lakes Senior High?

Rank History for Detroit Lakes Senior High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 67.66 194th 433 55.2%
2005 64.92 233rd 452 48.5%
2006 46.74 303rd 450 32.7%
2007 75.61 118th 463 74.5%
2008 70.44 163rd 460 64.6%
2009 72.83 67th 234 71.4%
2010 72.04 140th 540 74.1%
2011 66.16 213th 545 60.9%
2012 72.53 143rd 539 73.5%
2013 78.50 68th 534 87.3%
2014 67.39 167th 483 65.4%
2015 65.13 193rd 504 61.7%
2016 82.75 58th 489 88.1%
2017 79.72 72nd 489 85.3%
2018 86.18 36th 494 92.7%
2019 88.86 23rd 492 95.3%
2021 70.04 123rd 428 71.3%
2022 84.55 42nd 472 91.1%
2023 79.85 77th 476 83.8%
2024 77.82 87th 480 81.9%
See the entire list of Minnesota High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.95 8th 59 86.4%
2019 63.58 25th 66 62.1%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.82 67th 195 65.6%
2019 72.54 39th 220 82.3%
2021 21.06 148th 173 14.5%
2022 32.95 157th 214 26.6%
2023 41.19 135th 216 37.5%
2024 49.48 106th 221 52.0%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 75.15 65th 374 82.6%
2019 79.39 54th 370 85.4%
2021 62.92 88th 270 67.4%
2022 74.26 63rd 312 79.8%
2023 75.58 69th 393 82.4%
2024 81.76 39th 389 90.0%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.52 46th 395 88.4%
2019 85.45 31st 401 92.3%
2021 73.75 67th 339 80.2%
2022 75.88 66th 388 83.0%
2023 79.62 61st 396 84.6%
2024 79.49 63rd 403 84.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.15 36th 398 91.0%
2019 87.80 24th 411 94.2%
2021 54.40 165th 351 53.0%
2022 85.33 32nd 403 92.1%
2023 73.05 84th 398 78.9%
2024 65.76 124th 405 69.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.89 9th 14 35.7%
2019 74.68 2nd 15 86.7%
2021 81.69 3rd 11 72.7%
2022 90.07 2nd 16 87.5%
2023 60.03 15th 36 58.3%
2024 76.95 7th 42 83.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Detroit Lakes Senior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.87 22nd 414 94.7%
2019 87.80 22nd 412 94.7%
2021 62.61 135th 364 62.9%
2022 80.22 42nd 401 89.5%
2023 77.14 64th 398 83.9%
2024 65.15 131st 402 67.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Detroit Lakes Senior High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Open Quote I was a student, graduated in 1990. great teachers, and sports. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Detroit Lakes Senior High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 588 0 15 4 44 n/a n/a 0 651
1989 542 1 12 3 40 n/a n/a 0 598
1990 545 2 11 4 54 n/a n/a 0 616
1991 519 1 17 4 46 n/a n/a 0 587
1992 513 1 15 1 39 n/a n/a 0 569
1993 508 1 13 1 21 n/a n/a 0 544
1994 522 1 9 6 23 n/a n/a 0 561
1995 562 1 8 8 39 n/a n/a 0 618
1996 562 1 8 8 39 n/a n/a 0 618
1997 608 1 5 6 48 n/a n/a 0 668
1998 849 0 5 8 77 n/a n/a 0 939
1999 812 2 6 7 66 n/a n/a 0 893
2000 900 5 8 11 81 n/a n/a 0 1005
2001 859 9 9 14 83 n/a n/a 0 974
2002 813 12 9 15 87 n/a n/a 0 936
2003 813 12 9 15 87 n/a n/a 0 936
2004 778 7 8 11 75 n/a n/a 0 879
2005 757 6 6 7 90 n/a n/a 0 866
2006 762 6 8 9 87 n/a n/a 0 872
2007 752 8 7 9 99 n/a n/a 0 875
2008 703 10 9 9 107 n/a n/a 0 838
2009 699 8 6 10 101 n/a n/a 0 824
2010 714 12 4 11 96 n/a n/a 0 837
2011 710 8 5 15 86 0 1 0 825
2012 734 9 4 6 83 0 8 0 844
2013 721 11 5 9 76 0 20 0 842
2014 694 8 4 13 84 0 24 0 827
2015 691 12 4 8 93 0 30 0 838
2016 649 9 9 13 97 0 39 0 816
2017 671 9 8 11 85 0 50 0 834
2018 702 6 7 14 71 0 57 0 857
2019 685 10 9 15 72 0 80 0 871
2020 720 9 12 16 107 1 37 0 902
2021 709 11 9 10 147 1 11 0 898
2022 685 12 8 12 158 1 23 0 899
2023 676 9 6 15 132 1 26 0 865
2024 652 8 6 24 129 1 31 0 851

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Detroit Lakes Senior High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 651 39.9 16.3 14.6
1989 598 40.6 14.7 13.7
1990 616 38.1 16.1 18
1991 587 34.6 16.9 18.7
1992 569 32.8 17.3 18.1
1993 544 30.5 17.8 18.9
1994 561 34.3 16.4 18.4
1995 618 34.5 17.9 15.9
1996 618 34.5 17.9 15.9
1997 668 39.2 17.0 14.7
1998 939 n/a 0.0 14.7
1999 893 60.6 14.7 14.1
2000 1005 59.3 16.9 22.2
2001 974 59.6 16.3 22.5
2002 936 59.0 15.9 22.4
2003 936 59.0 15.9 22.4
2004 879 57.5 15.3 25.4
2005 866 56.9 15.2 26.7
2006 872 54.5 16.0 29.9
2007 875 53.9 16.2 25.7
2008 838 54.0 15.5 27.9
2009 824 54.4 15.1 23.9
2010 837 51.5 16.2 27.5
2011 825 51.8 15.9 26.5
2012 844 50.6 16.6 28.2
2013 842 51.4 16.3 29.1
2014 827 51.8 15.9 30.6
2015 838 52.0 16.1 31.4
2016 816 52.0 15.6 31.4
2017 834 54.0 15.4 29.3
2018 857 55.7 15.3 27.1
2019 871 55.8 15.5 27.4
2020 902 57.4 15.7 27.8
2021 898 49.8 18.0 24.3
2022 899 46.2 19.4 24.8
2023 865 48.7 17.7 36.9
2024 851 54.3 15.6 37.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Detroit Lakes Senior High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 651 39.9 16.3 14.6
1989 598 40.6 14.7 13.7
1990 616 38.1 16.1 18
1991 587 34.6 16.9 18.7
1992 569 32.8 17.3 18.1
1993 544 30.5 17.8 18.9
1994 561 34.3 16.4 18.4
1995 618 34.5 17.9 15.9
1996 618 34.5 17.9 15.9
1997 668 39.2 17.0 14.7
1998 939 n/a 0.0 14.7
1999 893 60.6 14.7 14.1
2000 1005 59.3 16.9 22.2
2001 974 59.6 16.3 22.5
2002 936 59.0 15.9 22.4
2003 936 59.0 15.9 22.4
2004 879 57.5 15.3 25.4
2005 866 56.9 15.2 26.7
2006 872 54.5 16.0 29.9
2007 875 53.9 16.2 25.7
2008 838 54.0 15.5 27.9
2009 824 54.4 15.1 23.9
2010 837 51.5 16.2 27.5
2011 825 51.8 15.9 26.5
2012 844 50.6 16.6 28.2
2013 842 51.4 16.3 29.1
2014 827 51.8 15.9 30.6
2015 838 52.0 16.1 31.4
2016 816 52.0 15.6 31.4
2017 834 54.0 15.4 29.3
2018 857 55.7 15.3 27.1
2019 871 55.8 15.5 27.4
2020 902 57.4 15.7 27.8
2021 898 49.8 18.0 24.3
2022 899 46.2 19.4 24.8
2023 865 48.7 17.7 36.9
2024 851 54.3 15.6 37.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Detroit Lakes Senior High

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $13,724

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Detroit Lakes Senior High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 23rd of 492 High schoolsRanks 77th of 476 High schools
 11.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
10th Grade Reading (Detroit Lakes Senior High)72.953.3
 19.6%
   10th Grade Reading (Detroit Lakes Public School District)69.450
 19.4%
   10th Grade Reading (Minnesota)60.451.7
 8.7%
11th Grade Math (Detroit Lakes Senior High)68.752.6
 16.1%
   11th Grade Math (Detroit Lakes Public School District)64.548.6
 15.9%
   11th Grade Math (Minnesota)4536
 9%
End of Course Science (Detroit Lakes Senior High)71.351.7
 19.6%
   End of Course Science (Detroit Lakes Public School District)68.847.8
 21%
   End of Course Science (Minnesota)54.441.8
 12.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students871865
 0.7%
African American109
 10%
American Indian72132
 83.3%
Asian96
 33.3%
Hispanic1515
Pacific Islander01
White685676
 1.3%
Two or More Races8026
 67.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients27.4%36.9%
 9.4%


Schools Near Detroit Lakes Senior High









Frequently Asked Questions about Detroit Lakes Senior High

Detroit Lakes Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary
Elementary : Rossman Elementary
Middle : Detroit Lakes Middle

Detroit Lakes Senior High ranks 87th of 480 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Detroit Lakes Senior High are 77% White, 15% American Indian, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

In the 2023-24 school year, 851 students attended Detroit Lakes Senior High.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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