Reimagine 2025
Updated 10/3/24
The Forest Lake Area School Board has approved a proposal to reimagine the school district for 2025 and beyond. This plan includes two key changes that would begin in September of 2025.
What is changing?
The following changes will begin in September of 2025:
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All district 6th grade students will attend school at Forest Lake Area Middle School, creating a middle school for grades 6-8.
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The Forest View Elementary building will become a consolidated school that serves PreK-5. Forest Lake Elementary will be closed.
Why did the school board make these changes?
Forest Lake Area Schools, and the communities that the district serves, have changed in recent decades. There are less children in our schools and in our community today than there were 20 years ago.
This trend is likely to continue as the current rate of children being born is lower than the rates of generations before them. We have more students graduating high school each year than we have students entering kindergarten to replace them.
As a result, the district must take a close look at its overall system to find a way to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of students and families in a community with fewer children.
One important thing to note: While the district is serving fewer students overall, there are communities within the district where the youth population is growing. It is likely that the school board may need to review attendance boundaries in the future, possibly for the 2026-2027 school year, in order to balance the number of students served by each school and provide a consistent educational experience for elementary students around the district.
Next Steps:
Staff and district leaders will begin meeting next week to make final plans and preparations for the transition.
More Information:
Families can find specific information and updates at the following links:
Middle School - Transition to a 6th - 8th Grade Program
Forest Lake Elementary and Forest View Elementary Consolidation
Frequently Asked Questions - Middle School Transition
- What will this do to class sizes?
- What will happen to 6th grade teachers?
- Is there enough space? Won't it be crowded?
- What about physical activity & recess?
- What will the daily schedule (start/end time) and busing look like?
- Will Spanish Immersion continue at the middle school?
- Will students have enough time for lunch?
- How will you handle the larger volume of traffic for drop off/pick up?
- Why are you planning this for next year instead of the year after? Isn't that too rushed?
- How will this impact sports?
- What will you do to help my student have a good transition into middle school?
- Will 5th graders miss out on all of the fun milestone activities they would normally do in 6th grade?
What will this do to class sizes?
What will happen to 6th grade teachers?
Is there enough space? Won't it be crowded?
What about physical activity & recess?
What will the daily schedule (start/end time) and busing look like?
Will Spanish Immersion continue at the middle school?
Will students have enough time for lunch?
How will you handle the larger volume of traffic for drop off/pick up?
Why are you planning this for next year instead of the year after? Isn't that too rushed?
How will this impact sports?
What will you do to help my student have a good transition into middle school?
Will 5th graders miss out on all of the fun milestone activities they would normally do in 6th grade?
Frequently Asked Questions - Elementary Consolidation
- What will happen to Forest Lake Elementary staff and teachers? Will people lose their jobs?
- What will this do to class sizes?
- Isn't Forest Lake Elementary bigger? Why did you choose Forest View?
- Will Forest Lake Elementary just sit empty? Isn't that a waste of money?
- Is this a purely financial decision? Isn't that putting money over students?
- How will the savings be used?
- Will there be enough support staff for the larger school? Paras, counselors, SEL support, etc.