Frosty Minnesota takes public education seriously; the Land 10,000 Lakes ranked seventh in the nation in pre-K-12 education in US News & World Report’s latest survey of nationwide public education quality. The pleasant demeanor and high rate of civic participation of Minnesota’s citizens is a testament to the state’s terrific school systems.

Leading the pack at #1 is Wayzata Public Schools, an extensive district of 16 schools and over 11,000 students serving several cities in Hennepin County, MN (with but one school, West Middle School, actually located in the city of Wayzata). Owing to the excellence of its schools, a remarkably high percentage of the district’s graduates go on to pursue a college education.

Minnesota’s second best school district is Edina Public Schools, a smaller system, compared to the preceding entry on the list, of six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. EPS’s honors are myriad; six of its schools have earned Blue Ribbon School Awards, and Newsweek recently named Edina High School in its 2016 ranking of the nation’s best.

Ranking third is another excellent district, Minnetonka Public Schools, a system of 10 schools centered in Minnetonka, MI. Like other districts on the list, Minnetonka’s honors are too numerous to mention: 90% of its 2017 graduates went on to college, and the district was named a top workplace in the state by the Star Tribune.

Filling out the list of Minnesota’s top five school districts are Waconia Public Schools ISD 110 (#4) serving Carver and Hennepin counties, and Mahtomedi Public Schools ISD 832 (#5), whose students’ test scores regularly rank among the highest in the state.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?