Total enrollment
74,658
+1,017 (+1%) vs SY 2017-18
Dakota County
Minnesota · Public K-12
The schools list below covers the full public K-12 directory for Dakota County: 170 campuses, 74,687 students, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan as the largest district. By grade band, the county runs 80 elementary, 25 middle, and 51 high schools.
7-year change in Dakota County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
150
+16 (+12%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
56%
was 66%
% Hispanic
16%
was 12%
% Black
14%
was 10%
% Asian
6%
was 6%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
445,771
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
170
21 districts
Enrollment
74,687
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$106,318
Above Minnesota avg
Free/reduced lunch
34.3%
Below Minnesota avg
Elementary
80
32,804 students
Middle
25
15,204 students
High
51
26,317 students
Combined / other
14
362 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
ROSEMOUNT-APPLE VALLEY-EAGAN
29,224 students · 21 districts in Dakota County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Dakota County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
45.0%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
3.6%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
3.6%
civilian labor
Median age
39
24.0% under 18
Test scores in Dakota County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 97 schools ranked. Minnesota state average: 49.9%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY· 98.4%
- SHANNON PARK ELEMENTARY· 69.8%
- SOMERSET ELEMENTARY· 69.7%
- EAGAN SENIOR HIGH· 69.0%
- LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY· 68.8%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- STEAM Academy Charter School· 14.6%
- Gateway STEM Academy Charter School· 17.5%
- RANDOLPH SECONDARY· 21.3%
- HILLTOP ELEMENTARY· 26.1%
- Sky Oaks Elementary· 27.5%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 917 TESA | Rosemount | High | 07-12 | 133 | · |
| ROSEMOUNT AREA LEARNING CENTER | Eagan | High | 09-12 | 133 | · |
| Gateway STEM Academy Charter School | Burnsville | Elementary | KG-08 | 121 | · |
| 917 DCALS Main | Rosemount | High | 08-12 | 112 | · |
| Universal Academy South Elementary | Burnsville | Elementary | KG-06 | 103 | · |
| DAKOTA RIDGE SCHOOL | Apple Valley | Combined | KG-12 | 101 | · |
| GOA School of Logic | Farmington | Middle | 06-08 | 101 | · |
| Hastings Early Child Special Ed. | Hastings | Elementary | PK-PK | 100 | · |
| S St. Paul Community Lrng. Cntr. | South Saint Paul | High | 07-12 | 99 | · |
| STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville | Burnsville | Middle | 06-09 | 96 | · |
| 917 SUN | Rosemount | Combined | KG-12 | 94 | · |
| ACADEMIC ARTS HIGH SCHOOL | West Saint Paul | High | 09-12 | 78 | · |
| STEAM Academy Charter School | Inver Grove Heights | Elementary | KG-06 | 77 | · |
| 196Online High School | Rosemount | High | 09-12 | 71 | · |
| ATHENEUM ELEMENTARY | Inver Grove Heights | Elementary | 02-05 | 69 | · |
| Early Childhood Special Ed Program | South Saint Paul | Elementary | PK-PK | 68 | · |
| IGH EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM | Inver Grove Heights | Elementary | PK-PK | 68 | · |
| Lakeville Pathways Academy | Lakeville | High | 06-12 | 58 | · |
| 917 DCALS North | West Saint Paul | High | 09-12 | 54 | · |
| Diamondhead Ready to Learn | Burnsville | Elementary | PK-PK | 50 | · |
| Joseph Nicollet Middle School | Burnsville | Middle | 06-08 | 50 | · |
| Lakeville Online Academy-Middle | Lakeville | Middle | 06-08 | 50 | · |
| BES Transition Program | Burnsville | High | 12-12 | 42 | · |
| 917 TEA | Apple Valley | Combined | PK-12 | 41 | · |
| ABE Diploma Program | Apple Valley | High | 09-12 | 40 | · |
| 917 IDEA | Rosemount | Combined | KG-12 | 37 | · |
| Lakeville Online Academy-Elementary | Lakeville | Elementary | KG-05 | 36 | · |
| Tilden Community Preschool | Hastings | Elementary | PK-PK | 35 | · |
| ONE91 Virtual Academy Elementary | Burnsville | Elementary | KG-05 | 34 | · |
| Hastings Alternative Center | Hastings | High | 09-12 | 32 | · |
| Early Learning and Family Resource | West Saint Paul | Elementary | PK-PK | 31 | · |
| 917 Deaf/Hard of Hearing | South Saint Paul | Combined | PK-12 | 29 | · |
| 917 PACES | Rosemount | Combined | KG-12 | 29 | · |
| BRANCH OUT TRANSITIONAL SERVICES | West Saint Paul | High | 12-12 | 29 | · |
| SIMLEY ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM | Inver Grove Heights | High | 09-12 | 25 | · |
| 917 DASH | Rosemount | Combined | PK-12 | 20 | · |
| 917 Riverside School | Hastings | High | 06-12 | 17 | · |
| HOA High School | Hastings | High | 09-12 | 13 | · |
| Universal Academy South Middle/High | Burnsville | Middle | 07-07 | 11 | · |
| 917 DCALS Main Extended Day EDOP | Rosemount | High | 09-12 | 10 | · |
| Children's MN - Lakeville | Lakeville | High | 06-12 | 9 | · |
| STAARS | Hastings | High | 12-12 | 8 | · |
| Aspen House Education Program | Mendota Heights | High | 05-12 | 6 | · |
| 917 CASE | Rosemount | Combined | PK-12 | 5 | · |
| 917 New Chance | Hastings | High | 06-12 | 3 | · |
| Lakeville Shared Time Services | Lakeville | Combined | KG-12 | 3 | · |
| SSP Virtual | South Saint Paul | High | 10-12 | 3 | · |
| Special Education | Mendota Heights | Combined | KG-12 | 3 | · |
| Burnsville Sr High Extended Day Pro | Eagan | High | 09-12 | 2 | · |
| Special Services | Hastings | Elementary | KG-08 | 2 | · |
| DAKOTA PRAIRIE AREA LEARNING CENTER | Farmington | High | 08-12 | 1 | · |
| 196Online Elementary | Rosemount | Elementary | KG-05 | 0 | · |
| 196Online Middle School | Rosemount | Middle | 06-08 | 0 | · |
| 199 Online High School | Inver Grove Heights | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| 917 DCALS North Extended Day (EDOP) | West Saint Paul | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| Allina Hastings PHP | Hastings | High | 06-12 | 0 | · |
| COOPERATIVE AREA LEARNING PRG. | Apple Valley | High | 05-12 | 0 | · |
| CORE | Rosemount | High | 06-12 | 0 | · |
| Farmington Online - Elementary | Farmington | Elementary | KG-05 | 0 | · |
| Farmington Online - High | Farmington | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| Farmington Online - Middle | Farmington | Middle | 06-08 | 0 | · |
| HOA Middle School | Hastings | Middle | 05-08 | 0 | · |
| Learners Center | Burnsville | Combined | 04-12 | 0 | · |
| Middle School ALC | Rosemount | Middle | 06-08 | 0 | · |
| Out-of-State Care and Treatment | Lakeville | Combined | KG-12 | 0 | · |
| W ST. PAUL AREA LEARNING CNTR. | Mendota Heights | High | 09-12 | 0 | · |
| GOA School of Rhetoric | Eagan | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
| New Connections | Apple Valley | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| OPTIONS | Burnsville | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| To Be Determined | Rosemount | Elementary | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Dakota County
About Dakota County
Dakota County is an expansive county of about 445,771 residents in Minnesota. Its public-school system teaches approximately 74,687 students across 170 schools.
Looking at the wider area, census numbers show the median household earns about $106,318 a year, about 45% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. That income level is 37% higher than the Minnesota median.
In terms of grade levels, Dakota County comprises 80 elementary schools (32,804 students), 25 middle schools (15,204), 51 high schools (26,317), and 14 combined or other schools.
ROSEMOUNT-APPLE VALLEY-EAGAN is the biggest district by enrollment, covering about 29,224 students across Dakota County.
Trend over the past 7 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 74,658 students, stayed largely flat from the 73,641 reported in SY 2017-18. Over that span, Dakota County gained 16 schools, going from 134 to 150. The White share of public-school enrollment decreased from 66% to 56%.
On this page, the community for Dakota County discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.
Frequently asked questions
Dakota County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data