Detroit Lakes School District

What Detroit Lakes School District does

Detroit Lakes School District (Independent School District #22) is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, serving approximately 2,700-2,900 students across seven educational sites: Roosevelt Elementary, Rossman Elementary, Detroit Lakes Middle School, Detroit Lakes High School, the Area Learning Center, E-Laker Online High School, and the Laker Transitions program. Founded in 1889 and preparing its 137th graduating class in 2026, the district is governed by a six-member elected school board and led by Superintendent Mark Jenson, operating under a 2026-2031 Strategic Plan with a workforce of more than 500 staff.

The district's operating technology stack comprises Skyward (student information system), Finalsite (website and communications), Frontline Education (human capital management), and Google Workspace (productivity and collaboration). Its product surface extends well beyond K-12 academics to Community Education, the SAIL program, Food & Nutrition, Transportation, Health Services, the Title VI American Indian Education Program, Laker Kids childcare, and partnership-driven initiatives such as Project SEARCH, Project LIFE, and a Farm-to-School program.

As a political subdivision of the State of Minnesota, the district is funded through a formula mix of state education aid, local property taxes, and federal categorical funds, with no commercial sales motion. Pricing is irrelevant in the conventional sense — services are tuition-free to in-district residents — while ancillary programs (childcare, community education classes, food service enterprise) generate modest fee-for-service revenue. Customer segments include resident K-12 students, open-enrollment and online learners drawn from outside the district, adult learners served through Laker Transitions, and young children served through Laker Kids.

Name

Detroit Lakes School District

Legal name

Detroit Lakes School District #22

Website

https://dlschools.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Detroit Lakes School District (ISD #22) is a Minnesota public K-12 district serving approximately 2,900 students across seven schools and ancillary programs, funded by state aid, local property taxes, and federal sources, and operated by a 500+ staff workforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Special education services
• Community education programs
• School food services
• Student transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Funded through property taxes, state aid, and federal education funding. The district operates as a public school district with general operating revenue from government sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Detroit Lakes School District (ISD #22) is a public K-12 school district serving approximately 2,700-2,900 students from preschool through grade 12 across Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The district operates two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, an alternative learning center, an online high school, and post-secondary transition programming, supplemented by community education, food and nutrition services, transportation, health services, and American Indian culturally responsive education. Funded through state aid, local property taxes, and federal sources, the district provides free meals to all students under Minnesota's Free School Meals Program.

Product overview

Detroit Lakes Public Schools (DLPS) is a public school district serving approximately 2,700 students in grades K-12, with early childhood programming. The district operates a network of schools including two elementary schools (Roosevelt and Rossman for PK-5), Detroit Lakes Middle School (grades 6-8), Detroit Lakes High School (grades 9-12), along with alternative education options through the Area Learning Center and E-Laker Online High School. The district also provides special education transition programming through Laker Transitions, community education for all ages, SAIL summer programming, and comprehensive support services including food service, transportation, health services, and technology support. The American Indian Education Program offers culturally responsive programming with Ojibwe language and culture instruction. The district uses Finalsite for its website platform, Skyward for student information management, and Bound for activities management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lakers: The mascot and athletic brand identity for Detroit Lakes Public Schools, used across all school sports and activities programs.
• Laker Boosters
• Detroit Athletics Foundation
• Detroit Lakes Dollars for Scholars
• Detroit Lakes Public Education Foundation
• American Indian Education Department
• Laker Meals
• SAIL Programming
• Laker Kids
• Laker Ripple Award

Products and services

• Roosevelt Elementary School Elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through grade 5 students, located in Detroit Lakes. It is one of two elementary schools in the district providing foundational K-5 education.
• Rossman Elementary School Elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through grade 5 students, located in Detroit Lakes. It is one of two elementary schools in the district providing foundational K-5 education.
• Detroit Lakes Middle School (DLMS) Middle school serving grades 6-8, offering academic programs and extracurricular activities for early adolescent students.
• Detroit Lakes High School (DLHS) High school serving grades 9-12, providing comprehensive academic programs, athletics, and activities for students preparing for graduation and post-secondary opportunities.
• Detroit Lakes Area Learning Center (ALC) Alternative learning setting serving grades 9-12 for students seeking alternative educational pathways, including credit recovery and personalized education paths.
• E-Laker Online High School Fully online high school program serving grades 9-12 for students requiring flexible or remote learning options.
• Laker Transitions Post-secondary special education transition programming including Laker Trek, Project LIFE, and Project SEARCH, designed to prepare students with disabilities for adult life and employment.
• Community Education Community education program offering learning opportunities for all ages, including early childhood classes, adult education, and enrichment courses.
• SAIL Programming Summer enrichment program providing outdoor and experiential learning activities for students during summer months.
• American Indian Education Program K-12 program supporting American Indian students through culturally responsive instruction, Ojibwe language and culture classes, tutoring, college and career support, and activities including Quiz Bowl, Drum and Dance Team, and annual Powwow.
• Food and Nutrition Services School meal program providing breakfast and lunch services, participating in Minnesota's Free School Meals Program and Farm to School initiative sourcing from local farmers.
• Transportation Services School bus transportation services for students in grades K-12, requiring annual registration through the District Transportation Portal.
• Health Services School health services provided by Licensed School Nurses and Health Assistants, including medication administration, health screenings, vision and hearing checks, and illness management.
• Laker Kids Before and after school child care program (SAIL) for school-aged children, providing supervised care during non-school hours.
• Student Support Services Comprehensive support services including 504 plans, English Language Learner services, Title I services, McKinney-Vento homeless support, and Special Education services.
• Technology Services District technology support and services including device management, electronic device use policies, and digital tool resources for students and staff.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farm to School Partnership (Local Farmers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDLPS participates in Farm to School partnership sourcing from local farmers in Barnesville, Dent, Frazee, McIntosh, and Detroit Lakes. Local products include maple syrup, beef, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cantaloupe, and watermelon.
• Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Lake Agassiz Regional Library and Detroit Lakes Public Schools providing student library cards allowing students to access library resources with their student ID number.
• Student Assurance ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVoluntary student accident insurance program offered through Student Assurance Services, Inc., providing families the opportunity to purchase coverage for out-of-pocket medical expenses if a student sustains accidental bodily injury.
• Solution TreeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional development partner providing training for educators and administrators focused on crafting engaging and meaningful lesson plans for students.
• White Earth Land Recovery ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural programming partnership offering dream catcher and beaded bracelet classes for Native American Heritage Month activities.
• Eide Bailly, LLPminorOthersIndependent auditing firm contracted annually to complete the district's financial audit.
• Adam Thielen FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFL player Adam Thielen hosts youth football camp in Detroit Lakes, inspiring next generation through his Youth Football Camp.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Stride Inc. (K12 Inc.): A national online K-12 education operator. Relevant as a partial-overlap comparator to E-Laker Online High School — both deliver fully online K-12 instruction, but Stride operates at vastly greater scale and as a private/commercial entity rather than a public district.

Direct peers

• Frazee-Vergas Public Schools: A very nearby small Minnesota district (Frazee is referenced in DLPS's Farm-to-School supply network). Comparable rural Minnesota operating context, similar enrollment scale, and direct open-enrollment competitive overlap.
• Moorhead Area Public Schools: A nearby Minnesota public school district serving a comparable West-Central Minnesota community with multiple school sites and similar K-12 programming. Materially comparable in governance model, funding structure, and student-support offerings, though at a larger enrollment scale.
• Perham-Dent Public Schools: A smaller neighboring Minnesota district serving the Perham area. Comparable rural Minnesota operating model, multi-school configuration, and open enrollment exposure — directly comparable on geography and competitive dynamics.
• Bemidji Area Schools: A regional Minnesota public school district serving a comparable rural/northern community. Similar mix of elementary, middle, and high schools with American Indian Education programming and community education offerings — directly comparable on geography and demographics.
• Pelican Rapids Public Schools: A nearby west-central Minnesota district serving a similar small lakes-community population. Comparable on rural Minnesota context, multi-site K-12 configuration, and shared regional labor and open enrollment dynamics.
• Park Rapids Area Schools: A similarly-sized rural Minnesota public school district serving a lake-country community. Comparable on rural demographics, K-12 multi-site configuration, and tourism-dependent local economy context.
• Fergus Falls Public Schools: A similarly-sized west-central Minnesota public school district with comparable school configuration (multiple elementary sites, middle, high school). Directly comparable in scale, funding model, and rural-community operating context.
• Hawley Public Schools: A nearby west-central Minnesota public school district of similar small-to-mid scale. Directly comparable on rural Minnesota operating model, K-12 configuration, and competition for open enrollment students.

Broad incumbents

• Minneapolis Public Schools: The largest public school district in Minnesota, operating a much broader portfolio across many school sites and student populations. Comparable as a Minnesota public K-12 system but operates at fundamentally different scale and demographic complexity than Detroit Lakes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DLPublicSchools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/rnielsendlschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/DetroitLakesPublicSchools
• Instagraminstagram.com/detroitlakespublicschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/detroit-lakes-school-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Detroit Lakes School District