Wayzata Public Schools


Wayzata Public Schools is a public school district in the northwestern area of Hennepin County, Minnesota, U.S. serving all or part of the cities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata.
Wayzata Public Schools include eight elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school. The district also has a community education department.
The superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools is Dr. Chace B. Anderson. The approximate enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year is 12,720 students. The district employs more than 1,695 employees including almost 900 teaching positions. The district operates with a total expenditure budget for the 2018-2019 school year of more than $194 million, which includes about $163 million for the general operations of the schools. It is one of only two districts in the state to be given a Aaa bond rating by Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Services. Wayzata Public Schools is rated in Minnesota by Niche right after Minnetonka Public Schools.
Despite the district's name, only one school, West Middle School, is currently located in the City of Wayzata; every other school is located in the City of Plymouth. The majority of the district lies to the north of Wayzata in the city of Plymouth. The West Middle School building at one time housed all grades 7-12 students for the district.

List of Schools

Wayzata High School is located at 4955 Peony Lane in Plymouth MN 55446. Scott Gengler is the current principal and the student day is from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The current enrollment is 3,553 students in grades 9 through 12.
The Wayzata High School building was opened in 1997 to replace the former high school which is now Central Middle School. It is located north of Highway 55 in Plymouth at the intersection of Peony Lane and Schmidt Lake Road.
WHS's graduation rate is approximately 98 percent. Typically, 87 percent of graduates plan to attend either two-or four-year colleges and universities.
WHS offers an academic program that includes 32 advanced placement courses for students. More than 85 percent of students score three or higher on AP exams, making them eligible for college credit. There are more than 60 co- and extra-curricular activities available at WHS. On statewide tests, more than 90 percent of 10th grade students were proficient on the MCA II reading test and more than 70 percent of 11th grade students were proficient on the MCA II math test. WHS students also score consistently higher than state and national averages on the ACT and SAT exams. The WHS average score on the 2016 ACT was 25.8, compared to 22.7 at the state level and 21.1 at the national level. On the SAT, WHS students in 2016 scored an average math score of 710 and an average critical reading score of 667 - compared to 609 and 595 at the state level and 515 and 501 at the national level. Six students recently earned perfect scores on the 2018 ACT.

Central Middle School

Central Middle School is located at 305 Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth MN 55447. The principal is Clark Doten and the student day is from 9:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 1,317 students in grades 6 through 8.
The Central Middle School building was opened in 1961 as the senior high school and converted to Central Middle School in 1997. It is located on the southeast corner of Gleason Lake at the intersection of Gleason Lake Road and Vicksburg Lane.
Each year, students are assigned to one of four "teams": Blue, Gold, Silver, or Green. A student's team determines which teachers he or she will have.
Unlike other Wayzata schools, Central does not have a swimming pool, but has a hockey arena. The arena once hosted Wayzata High School home games when the high school was located at the Central building.
Students in Wayzata middle schools are required to take three years of physical education and a performance-based music course from the Encore department. Students must also take one quarter of industrial technology, family and consumer science, art and world language in sixth and seventh grades. In eighth grade, students have the opportunity to explore two of these four offerings in a more in-depth semester-long course.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and Vision 21 curriculum.

East Middle School

East Middle School is located at 12000 Ridgemont Avenue West in Plymouth MN 55411. The principal is Paul Paetzel and the student day is from 9:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 746 students in grades 6 through 8.
East Middle School was opened in 1967 and is located approximately one mile east of Xenium Lane on Ridgemont Avenue in Plymouth.
Middle school students are placed on a core team where they take math, science, health, communications or language arts, social studies, history or geography. During "core" time they also receive a reading curriculum, which offers enrichment opportunities.
Students in Wayzata middle schools are required to take three years of physical education and a performance-based music course from the Encore department. Students must also take one quarter of industrial technology, family and consumer science, art and world language in sixth and seventh grades. In eighth grade, students have the opportunity to explore two of these four offerings in a more in-depth semester-long course.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and gifted curriculum known as Vision 21.

West Middle School

West Middle School is located at 149 Barry Avenue North in Wayzata MN 55391. The principal is Susan Sommerfeld and the student day is from 9:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 793 students in grades 6 through 8.
The West Middle School building was opened in 1951 as a junior/senior high school and was converted to West Middle School in 1961. It is located at the intersection of Barry Avenue and Wayzata Boulevard in Wayzata.
Middle school students are placed on a core team where they take math, science, health, communications or language arts, social studies, history or geography. During "core" time they also receive a reading curriculum, which offers enrichment opportunities. Also started 2010-2011 school year 8th grade was introduced to block scheduling where they have 3 cores a day instead of 5, but was switched back to the original scheduling in the 2014-2015 school year.
Students in Wayzata middle schools are required to take three years of physical education and a performance-based music course from the Encore department. There are also extra curricular music programs such as Jazz Band, Touring Choir and Chamber Strings. Students must also take one quarter of industrial technology, family and consumer science, art and Spanish in sixth and seventh grades. In eighth grade, students have the opportunity to explore two of these four offerings in a more in-depth semester-long course.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and Vision 21 curriculum.

Kimberly Lane Elementary School

Kimberly Lane Elementary School is located at 17405 Old Rockford Rd in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 7:45 am to 2:25 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 778 students in grades K-5. The school is represented by students and families from diverse backgrounds that include 20 different countries. Dr. Kari Wehrmann is the Principal and the school mascot is the coyote.. The school was opened in 1991.

Oakwood Elementary School

Oakwood Elementary School is located at 17340 County Road 6 in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 7:45 am to 2:25 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 560 students in grades K-5. They were named 2017 national blue ribbon school and Oakwood students represent over 30 countries and 17 languages. Sarabeth deNeiu is the Principal and the school mascot is the bald eagle. Oakwood Elementary was built on the corner of County Road 6 and County Road 101 in 1958.

Plymouth Creek Elementary School

Plymouth Creek Elementary School is located at 16005 41st Avenue North in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has a diverse student body of approximately 720 students in grades K-5. Dr. Karla Thompson is the Principal. . Plymouth Creek Elementary was built near the corner of Vicksburg Lane and Old Rockford Road in 1998.

Sunset Hill Elementary School

Sunset Hill Elementary School is located at 3005 Sunset Trail in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 8:30 am to 3:10 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 679 students in grades K-5. They have multiple clubs available after school for students. Mr. Ross Williams is the Principal. Sunset Hill Elementary was built in southeast Plymouth in 1963.

Greenwood Elementary School

Greenwood Elementary School is located at 18005 Medina Road in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 7:45 am to 2:25 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 815 students in grades K-5. They have multiple clubs available after school for students. Their Principal is Dr. Brad Gustafson and their mascot is the grizzly bear. Greenwood Elementary was built in east Plymouth at the corner of Highway 101 and Medina Road in 1965.

Birchview Elementary School

Birchview Elementary School is located at 425 Ranchview Way in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 8:30 am to 3:10 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 473 students in grades K-5. It was named a Blue Ribbon school in 2016. Their Principal is Sam Frederickson and their mascot is the bobcat. Birchview Elementary was built in 1970 near Central Middle School in southern Plymouth.

Gleason Lake Elementary School

Gleason Lake Elementary School is located at 310 County Road 101, adjacent to the Wayzata Public Schools Administration offices, in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The student school day is from 8:30 am to 3:10 pm. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has approximately 580 students in grades K-5. They have multiple clubs available after school for students. Their Principal is Mary McKasy and their mascot is the alligator. Greenwood Elementary was built in east Plymouth at the corner of Highway 101 and Medina Road in 1989.

Meadow Ridge Elementary School

Meadow Ridge Elementary School is located at 17905 County Road 47 in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The elementary school is a part of the Wayzata Public Schools and has a diverse student body of approximately 876 students in grades K-5. The student school day is from 7:45 am to 2:25 pm. Like many of the district's elementary schools, they celebrate this diversity each winter with a culture week or night. Ms. Karen Keffler is the principal. Meadow Ridge Elementary was built in northwest Plymouth in 2016 and received a 10 classroom addition in 2018.

North Woods Elementary School

The new North Woods Elementary School will be located off of Highway 101, north of Highway 55, in Plymouth, Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul and opening in the fall of 2019. It was approved by a 2017 voter referendum. Its design will be similar to that of the recently opened Meadow Ridge Elementary School and have a capacity of over 800 students in grades K-5. Ms. Jenny Berg will be the Principal when it opens.

Demographics

The student body in the district, based on enrollment, includes the following:
  • White - 70.1%
  • Asian - 14.1%
  • Black - 7.1%
  • Hispanic - 4.3%
  • Multiracial - 4.3%
  • Native American - 0.1%
  • Students receiving free/reduced lunch - 13.1%
  • Students receiving special education services - 9.81%
  • English Language Learner students - 2.5