School District #542 is a cornerstone of our community. The school facility is new and contemporary, but the real assets are found in the staff, instruction, co-curricular activities, and social experiences. The school’s environment and science teams regularly win state and national notoriety for academic and competitive outcomes. A full suite of athletic and fine arts options are available to students, and in many cases set the pace among member schools in our conference.

During the summer, structured activities abound for area youth, including summer recreation baseball and softball, youth basketball leagues, drama workshops and productions, and swimming lessons. The school district also supports strong early childhood development, pre-school, and community education programs.

Graduation rates:

2004	100%
2005	97%
2006	100%
2007	98%
2008	98%

Accessible, high quality healthcare is important to a growing community. The lakes region is the proud home of Good Samaritan Center (long-term care and assisted living services), Fergus Falls Medical Group clinic, numerous dentists, home health agencies, and other healthcare professionals.

The Lakes Area is fortunate to be the home of several strong banking and financial institutions. At the heart of this network is the locally-owned and contemporary 1st National Bank with branches across the Lakes Area in Battle Lake, Otter Tail, and Henning. Larger corporate financial institutions have branch offices nearby in Fergus Falls and Alexandria.