By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
At the last Northfield School Board meeting, the board heard a presentation about the number of students enrolled in the district. The Northfield Public Schools are an open enrollment district, which means that students who live outside of the district can enroll in the Northfield schools. Likewise, students who live in Northfield can choose to go to different public school districts, public charter schools, private schools, or be home-schooled. This is significant because the number of students in the district determines a substantial amount of funds the district receives from the State of Minnesota.
The report showed that 489 students attended Northfield from outside the district, a 13-student increase from last year. The largest group of students attending Northfield from outside of the district was Faribault with 312 students, followed by Kenyon-Wanamingo with 36 students, and Randolph with 24 students.
However, 866 students from Northfield attend schools outside of the district, the largest groups being students who attend other public school districts, which is 292 students, and students who attend charter schools, which is 270 students. The Northfield School District is the authorizer of two local charter schools, Prairie Creek, an elementary school, and Arcadia Charter School, a middle school and high school. Despite students leaving Northfield schools to go to the two local charter schools, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann voiced his support for the two:
At the last Northfield School Board meeting, the board heard a presentation about the number of students enrolled in the district. The Northfield Public Schools are an open enrollment district, which means that students who live outside of the district can enroll in the Northfield schools. Likewise, students who live in Northfield can choose to go to different public school districts, public charter schools, private schools, or be home-schooled. This is significant because the number of students in the district determines a substantial amount of funds the district receives from the State of Minnesota.
The report showed that 489 students attended Northfield from outside the district, a 13-student increase from last year. The largest group of students attending Northfield from outside of the district was Faribault with 312 students, followed by Kenyon-Wanamingo with 36 students, and Randolph with 24 students.
However, 866 students from Northfield attend schools outside of the district, the largest groups being students who attend other public school districts, which is 292 students, and students who attend charter schools, which is 270 students. The Northfield School District is the authorizer of two local charter schools, Prairie Creek, an elementary school, and Arcadia Charter School, a middle school and high school. Despite students leaving Northfield schools to go to the two local charter schools, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann voiced his support for the two:
“…Arcadia is a great school. I have often said that Minnesota has the most substantial system of school choice, is is a sophisticated system. And being the authorizer of two charter schools we are pleased to see students making those selections.” – Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann at the 11/12/2024 School Board Meeting
Hillmann stated that Northfield has always been a community that supported homeschooling, and this year, 185 students in Northfield were home-schooled. 120 students attended private schools.
Hillmann said the district has worked to learn why each student choose options outside of Northfield:
“There are some interesting pieces, there is no one piece that you say ‘o thats a significant change.’ So where looking line by line those Northfield students who are attending something else, it started with the charter schools, and were just trying to learn what we can from that.” – Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann at the 11/12/2024 School Board Meeting
