By Rich Larson
Northfield Public Schools is posting some of the strongest academic results in Minnesota. But Superintendent Dr. Tim Anderson said the district’s long-term health depends on something it can’t fully control: how many students walk through its doors.
Anderson described both sides of that picture in an interview with KYMN Radio ahead of Tuesday night’s school board meeting. The board was scheduled to receive the district’s Oct. 1 enrollment report and a state of the district presentation.
The academic news is good. Anderson said Northfield students outperformed the state average in every grade and subject tested this year, which places the district in the top 10 to 15 percent statewide in math, reading and science. Northfield ranks first in the Big Nine Conference in all three subjects. It leads the next-closest districts by 4, 7 and 10 points, respectively. Elementary math scores are 15 to 22 points above the state average.
The ranking site Niche also moved Northfield from 14th to sixth among 325 Minnesota districts.
Anderson summed up what he sees as the formula behind those results: “High expectations, high support.”
Enrollment is the harder story. Anderson called declining enrollment an “existential challenge” for districts across the state, driven by falling birth rates. Rice County’s growth rate is just 0.8 percent, and that still ranks 12th among Minnesota counties. Because state funding follows students, Anderson said, careful stewardship matters. October enrollment came in slightly below projections, though it has grown since the start of the school year.
The new high school project, which voters supported by approving three ballot questions in 2024, remains on schedule and on budget, Anderson said. The project’s 33rd construction update reports that crews have poured foundation walls and footings for the classroom additions and that geothermal drilling is down to its final well.
The board was also set to recognize two groups of students. The Raider girls tennis team earned its second straight state tournament berth with a 4-3 win last Friday. Greenvale Park fourth graders took part in DNR conservation activities during the Governor’s Pheasant Opener.
The state tennis tournament is Oct. 27-28 in Bloomington.
Rich Larson is the owner and General manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net.
