Lila Lower School

246 11th Avenue Southeast

School District

Lakes International Language Admy
Grade

1-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

charter

School Map for Lakes International Language Admy

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 31, 2023

Working at LILA has been the best job I have had in my entire life, I am so incredibly happy to be here. I feel supported, welcomed, and I want to be involved in everything! Also the community and parents are AMAZING!
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2023

Great community here! Friendly, knowledgeable staff and caring, involved parents makes this school top notch!
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2022

The staff and teachers are caring and supportive. Academically, our kids have risen above state standards, AND are bi-lingual!
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2020

My oldest just graduated and earned a gold bilingual seal on her high school diploma. She's was able to earn quite a lot of college credit while in high school too. I have nothing but praise for her overall education - K thru 12! She is sad to have to move on to college because she loved LILA so much! My youngest is working with the special education department due to ADHD and they go above and beyond to help him learn effectively. And they show in many ways that they truly care about him and his education. I can't express in words how much we love how this school looks out for the students while helping them learn to work hard and to value a great education. And on top of that, they learn a second language which will have so much value throughout their lives in so many ways! If I had it to do over again, I would absolutely choose this school again hands down!
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2020

Zero to none. Would not recommend it at all.
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2019

Best thing we've done for our kids - giving them the gift of a second language at an IB world school!
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2019

We can't speak enough about our time at LILA. We tried the public school in our district (it's not Forest Lake so I cannot speak tot hat) and it just didn't fit our kiddo and how they learn. We were apprehensive at first in how we would support learning in a different language but we've been able to partner with the school and they've helped our little leaps and bounds since starting there! Open lines of communication with our teachers, support for not only curriculum help but social and emotional support. The staff refer to the school as a community and you can truly feel that. We love LILA and are thankful everyday we took that step.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2018

We used to love the school when it was just K-6. At the time, it was a great school with excellent teachers and a warm community feel. We were excited at the prospect of it becoming K-12. Unfortunately, the excellence of the lower school did not continue into the upper school and we could not recommend it in good conscience. This is very sad. We’ve had some wonderful teachers over the years, but sadly most are gone now.
Submitted by parent on July 13, 2018

After 5 years with LILA and two children with different strengths attending, I am continually so grateful for this school! We love the teachers, other parents and families that had the similar goal to give their children the gift of being bilingual. My kids are exposed to people and cultures from around the world while learning in a challenging and supportive enviornment.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2017

My son started the Mandarin immersion program at LILA 3 years ago, currently in 2nd grade. He can read and write in English and Mandarin. Standardized test scores for this school show lower as the focus is not on the English language so comprehension of English suffers some as English is not introduced into the classroom until halfway through 2nd grade. The consequence of this is that the students are bilingual so long as the parents take an active role in their children's education. We've done most of the English learning at home though we get help from the school with this area in the form of learning goals. Teacher's are outstanding in this school, many of them are native speakers of the language they are immersing the children in. With the IB credentials, students learn not just about US culture, but about cultures from around the world. The school is still required to teach state standards just as any other public school is required to do, the difference is the extra things that LILA does as part of the IB curriculum. There is heavy parent involvement within the school as well.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2017

This school started out strong years ago, but it has gone downhill quickly. Gone are the days of small class size...Classes are now huge and my child's class has had 29-30 kids every year. The school has grown too big too fast and there is not enough space so some classes are across the street in the basement of a different building. Many teachers are new and cannot discipline very well. The students in my child's class are not even close to meeting standards. Many parents have pulled their kids out....used to be such a great school. Not anymore.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2017

I LOVE this school! It's made a huge difference in my son's behavior since switching him in 1st grade. He caught up quickly and is excelling!
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2016

Language immersion and world language electives, the International Baccalaureate curriculum, and the international staff bring the world to this small Midwestern town. Both my children are bilingual because of LILA, and now that LILA will have high school this fall, my oldest is returning for his final two years. Best school in the area.
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2015

Lakes International Language Academy combines the International Baccalaureate curriculum with language immersion (Spanish or Mandarin Chinese) for K-5 and language immersion (Spanish or Mandarin) or fast-track classes for grades 6-12 (Spanish, Mandarin, or French). It's a caring learning environment focused on each student's growth with an emphasis on global mindedness and personal responsibility. Both of my children attended LILA and became bilingual and biliterate; they're also thoughtful, articulate, and open-minded leaders. I highly recommend this public charter school -- no tuition for MN students! Check out the LILA website at MyLILA.org for lots of background information on immersion and IB, too.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

This school is great. My daughter was the first grade to have Mandarin offered. I was nervous at school since Chinese is so difficult to learn. I could not imagine her not being immersed in Chinese at this point. It is a close knit group and her teacher this year has amazing communication and involvement with us.
Submitted by other on August 11, 2013

My school is awesome. The curriculum is well rounded, the teachers and staff are professional and caring. The only improvement I could think of is to have it go through middle school.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2012

I have a first grader at LILA. We were nervous about sending our daughter to a full immersion program, but we really believed in it. It has been a really great experience so far- all of the staff and teachers are amazing and dedicated to their jobs and school. And an added bonus that we didn't anticipate- for a school in a northern Twin Cities suburb, it gives our kids the opportunity to experience a more diverse school population than many of the schools in our area. Highly recommend LILA to anyone looking for a culturally-rich academic experience!