Our Schools

The Westonka School District serves approximately 2,300 students, grades preK-12, at five locations:

• Early Childhood Center & Early Learning Center (early childhood and preschool)
• Hilltop Primary School (K-4)
• Shirley Hills Primary School (K-4)
• Grandview Middle School (5-7)
• Mound Westonka High School (8-12)

15 Consecutive Years of 'Best in State' MCA Performance

Westonka students, from the primary schools to the high school, scored in the Top 10 districts in the state on 2018 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). Overall, Westonka is ranked #12 in the state in math and #15 in the state in reading.

• Grade 3 is ranked #8 in state in reading
• Grade 4 is ranked #6 in state in reading
• Grade 5 is ranked #2 in state in math, #8 in state in reading
• Grade 6 is ranked #2 in the state in math
• Grade 7 is ranked #8 in the state in math
• Grade 10 is ranked #6 in the state in reading
• Grade 11 is ranked #7 in the state in math

>>See how our test scores compare to our neighbors

Home of 2017 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Corey Bulman

Mound Westonka High School English teacher Corey Bulman was named 2017 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Niche Best School Districts

Westonka Public Schools ranks 11th in the state in the 2019 Niche.com Best School Districts ranking.

Safest School Districts

Westonka is the #2 safest school district in Minnesota, according to the 2019 Niche.com Safest School Districts Ranking.

SchoolDigger Top School Districts

The Westonka School District is ranked 8th out of 441 Minnesota districts for 2016-2017 by SchoolDigger.

GreatSchools District Rating

The Westonka School District has a perfect 10 out of 10 rating on GreatSchools.org.

U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools

MWHS 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.

Washington Post America's Most Challenging High Schools

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.

National Council for Home Safety and Security Best School Districts in America

Out of 9,577 eligible districts, Westonka Public Schools comes in at No. 237 on the National Council for Home Safety and Security's 2018 ranking of the Best School Districts in America. Westonka ranks as the 6th best school district in Minnesota.

BackgroundChecks.org Top School Districts

Westonka ranks as the 6th best school district in Minnesota on the BackgroundChecks.org Top School Districts list in 2018.

National Blue Ribbon Primary Schools

Both of Westonka's primary schools have been awarded National Blue Ribbon Awards by the U.S. Department of Education for "exemplary education."

Newsweek America's Top 500 High Schools

Mound Westonka High School was named one of the nation's top public high schools by Newsweek. MWHS was one of only 10 Minnesota schools to make the America’s Top High Schools list in 2015.

AP District Honor Roll

Westonka was one of only 11 Minnesota districts named to the College Board’s 2012 AP District Honor Roll for increasing access to AP Exams while also increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher (usually the minimum to earn college credit).

MN Dept. of Education Reward School

Both of Westonka's Title I schools, Grandview Middle School and Shirley Hills Primary School, earned the 2016 Reward School distinction from the Minnesota Department of Education.

Strong Student/Teacher Ratios

Average Class Sizes in 2016-2017:
Kindergarten: 17.38
Primary School: 21.21
Middle and High School: 22.90

High Ability Student Choices

• Full Gifted and Talented program in the primary schools
• Accelerated and honors courses for middle school
• High school honors courses
• 11 Advanced Placement courses
• Two CIS Spanish courses
• Learn more about GATES

Westonka Edge21

• The Westonka Public Schools Edge21 Technology Plan furthers the district’s commitment to increasing student learning and engagement and to ensuring that all Westonka students are college and career ready by the time they graduate
• 1:1 devices in grades 1-12—students use mobile devices at school and at home as the primary way to access curriculum.
• Learn more about Edge21

Strong College Prep Program

• College counseling and planning begins in 7th grade
• Strong portfolio of Advanced Placement Courses
• College-in-the-Schools Spanish
• Post-Secondary Enrollment Options
• College credit-bearing Project Lead the Way engineering program
• Districtwide engineering curriculum
• 32 AP Scholar Awards for exceptional achievement on 2018 AP Exams
• 56% of students taking AP Exams in 2018 scored a 3 or higher (usually the minimum to earn college credit)
• 2018 ACT composite score: 24.1—exceeds the 21.3 state average and 20.8 national average.
• Learn more about post-secondary readiness

Generous Community Support

• Financial support from local educational foundation
• 2016 bond referendum passed to build community athletics & recreation center and performing arts center, which are now open on the high school campus
• Over $124,000 in locally sponsored scholarships awarded in 2018

Award-Winning Activities (2016-2017 Highlights)

Athletics:

• Four state tournament teams—Gymnastics (5th), Jazz Dance (6th), High Kick Dance, Girls Hockey
• 12 individual state tournament competitors; seven All-State athletes
• 50+ All-Conference athletes
• Five Conference/District Champion teams; three Section Champion teams
• Two Section Coaches of the Year
• Team Academic All-State Award, four Team Academic Gold Awards and two Team Academic Silver Awards

Business:

• 83 students competed at the state DECA meet
• 10 students qualified for DECA Internationals

Band:

• Superior rating for MWHS Wind Ensemble in Region 2AA contest
• Seven WCC Honor Band members, four U of MN Honor Band members and two MBDA Honor Band members

Vocal:

• Superior ratings for Concert Choir and Madd Jazz in Region 2AA contests; Madd Jazz earned "Best in Site"
• Three ACDA Honor Choir members, five middle school state choir members
• Two All-State Choir members

Drama:

• Four individual SpotLight Awards for “Little Shop of Horrors,” including two for Outstanding Performance
• Production earned Outstanding Vocal Performance by an Ensemble and honorable mention awards for Acting Performance by an Ensemble, Overall Technical Team, A/V Board Operators and Student Orchestra

Fine Arts:

• 11 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards with four Silver Key and seven Honorable Mentions
• 14 Section 2AA Visual Arts awards, including one Best in Show
• 98 ribbons and one Grand Prize at 2016 MN State Fair

Future Leaders:

• Nine Future Problem Solvers Internationals competitors
• 17 Destination Imagination Globals participants