Oakland Education Center

Oakland Education Center is a modestly sized all-grades campus in AUSTIN, Minnesota, one of the schools within Austin Albert Lea Area Special Educ. The school caters to 40 students in grades pre-K through 12.

Austin Albert Lea Area Special Educ is the operating authority for Oakland Education Center, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

On the student-mix side, Oakland Education Center records that the most-represented group is White (53%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest reads as 20% Hispanic, 13% Black, 8% multiracial, 5% Asian. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 75%.

On the income-and-resources front, The school employs 7 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 6.1:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 75% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Mower County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

In the area at large, census data for Mower County shows median household income runs about $73,074, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Mower County's 34 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,434 students), Oakland Education Center is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Banfield Elementary, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Oakland Education Center.

Oakland Education Center operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 23%: 52 students in 2018 compared to 40 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 63% to 53% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Oakland Education Center typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.