Summary:
Waseca, Minnesota is home to 8 schools serving roughly 1,835 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade. About 93% of them attend the Waseca Public School District, with the rest split between the small Team Academy district and two tiny Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 programs. The area has two elementary, two middle, three high, and one alternative school. As a whole, the district trails the state: in 2025-2026 its proficiency ran about 7.4 points below Minnesota in Math, 6.3 points below in Reading, and 3.5 points below in Science.
Two schools stand out. Waseca Junior High is the academic bright spot, ranked 146 of 546 (73rd percentile, 4 stars) — the only 4-star school here — with Math proficiency of 45.6%, the only district school above the state's 44.9%. Waseca Senior High, the largest school at 555 students, has the strongest graduation rate at 91.3% versus 84.9% statewide, plus Science proficiency of 38.5% versus 25.5% statewide. Note that its Math (36.4%) and Reading (40.7%) remain below state averages.
Two schools face real challenges. Waseca Area Learning Center ranks 465 of 473 (2nd percentile, 0 stars), with 0% Math, 0% Reading, 5.6% Science, and a 39.1% graduation rate — though it serves a small, alternative population of 65 students. Team Academy has the highest free/reduced lunch rate (81.19%) and lowest student-teacher ratio (5.6) yet scores well below state, showing ratio alone does not predict results. Finally, SW Metro Waseca and SW Metro Waseca-Transitions have state-suppressed results, which mean unknown — not failing.
Thank you for your feedback!