StoryOverview and Mission of South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools)

City Council hears overview of South Washington County Schools

The Woodbury City Council held a meeting on September 25 focused on introducing South Washington County Schools, the region's sixth-largest school district. The presentation outlined the district's mission, scope, and educational programs serving nearly 19,000 students across seven communities.

Meeting date: Sep 25, 2025
Published Jun 22, 2026

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) presented an overview of its operations and mission to educate students for success. The district serves approximately 19,000 students across 84 square miles, with a service area population exceeding 98,000 residents.

The district covers seven communities in the region: Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Afton, Newport, St. Paul Park, Denmark, and Grey Cloud Island. As Minnesota's sixth-largest school district, SoWashCo Schools operates a comprehensive range of educational programs to serve diverse student needs.

These offerings include traditional elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as specialized programs such as online and alternative high schools. The district also provides transition programming for students receiving special services, early learning programs, adult diploma programs, and community education classes.

The presentation provided the City Council with detailed information about the district's scope and educational mission, helping local officials understand the role SoWashCo Schools plays in the community. No votes were taken during this informational session.

Our proprietary artificial intelligence agent analyzed publicly available documents including meeting agendas, minutes, and transcripts to write this story to help inform local residents. Feedback helps us improve, so please consider rating how we did with the thumbs up or down below.

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Source document

[0:00] - [Instructor] Welcome to South

Washington County Schools,

[0:02] SoWashCo Schools for short.

[0:04] The mission of SoWashCo Schools

[0:06] is to educate students for success.

[0:09] SoWashCo Schools is the

sixth largest school district

[0:11] in Minnesota, serving

around 19,000 students.

[0:15] SoWashCo schools encompasses

an area of 84 square miles,

[0:20] serving a population of over 98,000

[0:22] in the communities of

Afton, Cottage Grove,

[0:24] Denmark, Grey Cloud Island, Newport,

[0:28] St. Paul Park, and Woodbury.

[0:30] SoWashCo Schools has 16 elementary schools

[0:33] for students from kindergarten

through grade five,

[0:36] four middle schools for students

in grade six through eight,

[0:39] and three comprehensive high

schools, an online high school,

[0:43] and an alternative high

school that serves students

[0:45] through graduation, along

with transition programming

[0:48] for students receiving special

services ages 18 through 22.

[0:52] SoWashCo Schools also offers

programming for early learning

[0:56] for children ages birth to

five, adult diploma programs,

[0:59] and a huge variety of community

education programming.

[1:03] SoWashCo schools is dedicated

to leading by example,

[1:06] by working together with

students, staff, families,

[1:10] and community to support each student.

[1:13] From early learning to

graduation and beyond,

[1:15] SoWashCo schools is committed

to inspiring, supporting,

[1:20] and empowering every student

to reach their full potential.

[1:24] We're shaping the future

one student at a time

[1:27] with passionate educators,

innovative programs,

[1:30] and a strong community behind us.

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