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, robotics league and other 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 16th in the state on the 2020 Niche Best School Districts ranking.
• Westonka is ranked 12th out of 452 Minnesota districts for 2018-2019 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 2019, earning a Silver Award.
• 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 2017-2018 school year to the 2018-2019 school year, as measured by the Pre-ACT assessment during the sophomore year compared to the ACT assessment during the junior year.

Results: 

2017-2018 Grade 10 Pre-ACT Composite Score

• Free/Reduced Lunch Student Group: 19.8
• White Student Group: 21.1
  • Gap: 1.3 percentage points

2018-2019 Grade 11 ACT Composite Score

• Free/Reduced Lunch Student Group: 18.2
• White Student Group: 20.5
  • Gap: 2.3 percentage 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 2019, 43% of students met all four ACT College-Readiness benchmarks in English, Algebra, Social Science and Biology. This is an increase of 3 percentage points since 2016.

The Mound Westonka High School 2019 ACT composite score was 23.4—exceeds the 21.4 state average and 20.7 national average.

*MWHS has offered the ACT to all students since 2016

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. 7 in the state in reading proficiency and No. 2 in the state in math. Additionally, out of the 17 state-mandated assessments in grades 3-11, eight Westonka test results were in the Top 5 across the state in 2017, and 10 assessment scores were Top 10.

Mound Westonka High School students earned 37 AP Scholar Awards for exceptional achievement on 2019 AP Exams. Sixty-five percent of students taking AP Exams in 2019 scored a 3 or higher (typically the minimum to earn college credit).

AP Scholars: 25
AP Scholars with Honor: 5
AP Scholars with Distinction: 7

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.