In the Westonka school system, many factors are used to determine a student’s college and career readiness. These factors include academic performance, high school course selection and involvement with co-curricular activities. Through programs such as DECA, music and arts programs and academic co-curriculars, students can apply what they have learned in the classroom to authentic real-life experiences. 

Results: Westonka earns state and national recognitions

• Westonka Public Schools ranks 11th in the state on the 2019 Niche Best School Districts ranking.
• Westonka is ranked 13th out of 440 Minnesota districts for 2017-2018 by SchoolDigger.
• Mound Westonka High School was once again recognized as one of the Best High Schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 2018, earning a Silver Award.
• The Washington Post recognized Mound Westonka High School as one of "America’s Most Challenging High Schools." MWHS was one of only 26 Minnesota schools to make the cut in 2017.
• Both of Westonka's primary schools have been awarded National Blue Ribbon Awards by the U.S. Department of Education for "exemplary education."

Pre-ACT and ACT results are also used to determine student college and career readiness. The following goal was set to measure student college and career readiness: 

• The proficiency gap between our lowest non-special education student group, free/reduced lunch, and our white student ethnic group will decrease by 10% from the 2016-2017 school year to the 2017-2018 school year, as measured by the Pre-Act assessment during the sophomore year compared to the ACT assessment during the junior year.

Results: 

2016-2017 Grade 10 Pre-ACT Composite Score

• Free/Reduced Lunch Student Group: 17.5
• White Student Group: 20.2
  • Gap: 2.6 percentage points

2017-2018 Grade 11 ACT Composite Score

• Free/Reduced Lunch Student Group: 20.7
• White Student Group: 22.8
  • Gap: 2.1 percentage points

The gap between the free/reduced lunch students and white students decreased 19% (-.5 points)

The district's long-term goal is that the graduation class each year will show at least 50% have met all four ACT College-Readiness benchmarks in English, Algebra, Social Science and Biology.

Results:
For the Mound Westonka High School graduating class of 2018, 45% of students met all four ACT College-Readiness benchmarks in English, Algebra, Social Science and Biology. This is an increase of 3 percentage points over 2017.

The Mound Westonka High School 2018 ACT composite score was 24.1—exceeds the 21.3 state average and 20.8 national average.

*Third year of ACT testing for all MWHS students

Westonka students consistently rank among the best in Minnesota in both reading and math proficiency.

Results: When compared to public school districts testing at least 100 students in a grade level, Westonka ranks No. 12 in the state in math proficiency and No. 15 in the state in reading. Additionally, out of the 17 state-mandated assessments in grades 3-11, eight Westonka test results were in the Top 10 across the state in 2018.

See how Westonka's MCA scores compare with neighboring districts

Mound Westonka High School students earned 32 AP Scholar Awards for exceptional achievement on 2018 AP Exams. Sixty-seven percent of students taking AP Exams in 2018 scored a 3 or higher (usually the minimum to earn college credit), an 11% increase over 2017.

AP Scholars: 24
AP Scholars with Honor: 5
AP Scholars with Distinction: 3

A rigorous class schedule and student mastery of 21st century skills are critical for entrance into colleges and universities. To address these demands, Westonka offers a wide variety of academic choices for students. These include an elementary gifted and talented program; and middle school STEM classes, advanced language arts and accelerated math options. At the high school level, students can take honors-level courses, choose from 13 Advanced Placement courses, two College-in-the-Schools Spanish courses, four Project Lead the Way engineering courses and post-secondary enrollment options, where students earn college credit while continuing with high school.

Westonka offers a competitive DECA program, a leadership network that prepares students for careers in finance, hospitality, marketing and management. Through real-world experiences and classroom curriculum, DECA gives students a competitive edge for college and career success.

In addition, Mound Westonka High School is the host of a growing FIRST Robotics League, where students who have a passion for engineering, computer programming and math work together to create a robot that competes in regional robotics competitions. Participating in a FIRST Robotics league is noticed favorably by college and university admissions departments.