Today, I’m diving into the top 10 public school districts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area according to Niche.com. This is a crucial topic for families considering a move to the Twin Cities metro.
School choice is a very personal thing, and while these schools have ranked highly on Niche.com, it’s important to visit the schools and ask questions pertinent to YOUR child, ensuring the decision fits your family best.
Minnesota stands out in its commitment to education. In May 2023, the state passed a massive $2.2 billion funding increase for public schools. This means the total budget now exceeds $23 billion dollars, Minnesota is dedicated to providing top-notch educational opportunities. The governor has publicly stated his goal of making Minnesota a great place to raise a family.
I feel like David Letterman…
At #10! Mahtomedi Public Schools. This is a smaller district on the Northeast side of the cities with only about 3200 students in total. The student to teacher ratio is 24:1 and it ranks highly in academics. It does have a “gifted program” and AP courses are offered.
At #9 is Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan public schools– This school district has a higher ranking in diversity of student population, the student teacher ratio is lower according to Niche.com stating that the ratio is 17 students to 1 teacher. This is an ENORMOUS school district with a lot of schools and almost 30,000 students. It’s located south of the cities. It has just about everything due to it’s large size.
At #8 Mounds View – Mounds view has a similar student teacher ratio as R-AV-E, but a much smaller student population at just under 12,000 students. Mounds view offers special ed, AP classes and a gifted program.
#7 Lakeville Schools– Lakeville is a smaller district with about 11,500 students and a 17:1 student teacher ratio. Lakeville is a growing community, there is a lot of new construction in this area, this formerly fairly rural area is becoming quite suburban. I do have a video about Lakeville that you can check out if you’d like. I have a playlist of MANY of the suburbs in the Twin Cities so you can check those out if you’re curious about various areas.
#6 Hopkins this is a small district of only about 7,000 students and it has a great student teacher ratio at 15:1. This is a community to consider if you like a small town feel but also want to be close to the actual city. I did a video on Hopkins and I will link to it here.
#5 Orono – this is a very small school district of less than 3000 students and is in one of the wealthier areas of the metro, bordering on Lake Minnetonka in places. This district scores well on Niche for everything except diversity.
#4 Edina – This a district of 8,400 students in a close in suburb of the Metro. I have done several videos showing neighborhoods in Edina, you can find them in my playlist and I’ll link to Indian Trails which is very close to the High School. I encourage you to look at the web sites of the various districts to see what they are highlighting – Edina has a VERY large offering for a district of this size. From the school district: “Edina Public Schools offers opportunities for students to deeply explore their interests, experience real-world learning, and creatively innovate. PreK-12 STEAM, travel-based learning, language immersion, talent development, and a virtual pathway are a few of the ways we individualize learning.”
#3 Eden Prairie – Eden Prairie offers a Spanish Immersion school as one of its options and also has gifted, AP and special ed. It has about 9,000 students and they say they have a 15 to 1 student to teacher ratio. This district is in an in demand suburb on the west of side of Minneapolis. From the school district: “We believe it is our purpose to create an environment of care and support where each student is inspired every day to recognize their skills and motivations, take ownership of their learning and explore their interests and passions.” I sat in on a presentation from the Eden Prairie schools and they seem to emphasize having kids that will be prepared to make decisions about what they want to do with their lives when leaving high school. For an overview of Eden Prairie you can check out my video profile of that suburb.
#2 Minnetonka – the district serves 10,900+ students and is the most sought-after district for open enrollment in MN with nearly 3,600 nonresident students. I believe that most of these non-resident students open enroll into Perpich Center for the Arts which is a public arts focused high school in Minnetonka. (I also did a video on open enrollment!) Minnetonka offers K-12 Chinese and Spanish Immersion, K-5 computer coding, AP and IB courses, collaborative research, advanced professional studies, online learning and award-winning arts and music programs. Ninety-eight percent of seniors graduate, 90% are college-bound. I do have a video for Minnetonka, too!
#1 Wayzata—The number one school district per niche.com is Wayzata schools. I hear from a lot of parents that want to get into this district because they have a good reputation and offer programs for special ed, AP and gifted. This district is large geographically and has 8 suburbs that feed into it on the north western side of the metro. It does have about 13,000 students.
An important aspect to understand is how school funding, often tied to property taxes, affects resources. Schools in areas with higher home prices (like Wayzata) generally have more resources. However, this doesn’t mean schools not on this list aren’t great options. The Twin Cities boast many excellent public schools.
Remember, if public schools aren’t the right fit for your family, the Twin Cities also offer a robust system of private schools, including religious and independent secular schools. Choosing the right school is about finding a place where YOUR child will thrive and grow.
Thank you for joining me! I love to talk to people that meet me on YouTube or the blog so please reach out with any questions or experiences you have with these schools.