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Forest Lake High School says class of 2025 reached estimated 94% graduation; district estimates 90%
Summary
Principal Tom Caldwell presented a snapshot of the Class of 2025, reporting an estimated 94% graduation rate for the high school and a district-wide rate near 90%, and highlighted career-pathway participation and college admissions.
The Forest Lake Area School Board heard a school achievement presentation on June 26 from Forest Lake Area High School principal Tom Caldwell, who summarized outcomes for the Class of 2025 and recent district academic work.
Caldwell presented an estimated high-school graduation rate of about 94% for the class — a figure he said the district calculates internally — and an estimated district-wide graduation rate of roughly 90%. He said the senior class began the year with about 75% of students on track to graduate and that the district’s interventions helped raise the eventual figure.
Caldwell said the senior class included students who pursued a variety of postsecondary paths: about 45% planned four-year college routes, 21% planned two-year college, 5% apprenticeships and 5% military service, with the remainder entering the workforce, taking gap years, or pursuing other options. He highlighted the district’s participation in “Direct Admissions,” a state program that provided college acceptance letters with waived application fees for students who enrolled in the program.
The principal also described the school’s career-pathway work and Career and Technical Education offerings: 112 students were reported as concentrated in engineering/manufacturing/technology pathways, 82 in health sciences and more than 50 college-level courses offered through the school. Caldwell spotlighted individual student stories and the range of career and college admissions, from in-state public universities to out-of-state technical programs and military service.
Board discussion focused on the mechanics behind the numbers and how to interpret assessment results: Member Castle asked about the relationship between MCA participation and state-reported measures; Caldwell said some top-performing students opt out of the state test, which can skew MCA-based published results downward. Members praised staff for intervention work that helped students recover credits and finish on time.
Why it matters: The graduation and college/career data are metrics the district uses to measure progress after challenges posed by the pandemic. Board members and administrators said the data illustrated the district’s investments in career pathways, extra supports and targeted interventions.
Provenance: Principal Caldwell’s presentation and board questions are recorded in the transcript. Representative excerpts are cited below.
Ending: Board members applauded the work and said they want to continue supporting career-pathway programs and interventions that help students graduate and enter postsecondary programs, apprenticeships or the workforce.
