Richfield Education
Richfield is proud of its outstanding educational opportunities. It is noteworthy that among the first structures to be built in Richfield 150 years ago was a public schoolhouse (Wood Lake.) Today, public, private and parochial choices are available for all ages.
Richfield Public Schools
Richfield Public Schools serve approximately 4,100 students in all of Richfield and a portion of Edina, with three elementary schools (two K-2, one 3-5,) a middle school (6-8) and a high school. The K-12 program for gifted and talented students combines in-class enrichment, send-out services and after-school opportunities. Technology supports and enriches teaching and learning, Pre-K through 12, with a student to computer ratio of 5:1, with additional technology applications across subject areas. A full range of special education services are provided, along with English as a Second Language and other student services. All schools teach, model and reinforce Richfield’s core values: Caring, Honest, Respect and Responsibility.
Elementary Schools
Elementary school children receive comprehensive instruction in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies. They also offer courses in physical education, music, art, media, technology and drug-abuse prevention. Both full day and half-day kindergarten are provided, as well as an elementary Dual Language (Spanish/English) Immersion program that is being planned for implementation in the fall of 2007. The staff works with local agencies to assure availability of childcare before and after school.
Richfield Middle School
Richfield Middle School serves grades 6-8. Students and staff in core academic subjects are organized into teams. Student/teacher teams stay together as students move from grade 7 to grade 8, personalizing learning and strengthening school/home connections. Applied academics classes are offered in physical education, health, music, Spanish, family and consumer science, art, technology education and computer skills. Richfield’s Wood Lake Nature Center provides environmental studies where sixth graders participate in an environmental learning center experience.
Richfield High School
Richfield High School provides a comprehensive curriculum that includes Honors, Advanced Placement, or College in the Schools classes in English, math, science, social studies and global languages, with additional college credit and certificate programs in business, marketing, technology and industrial education. Co-curricular offerings include 25 inter-scholastic athletic programs and more than 20 other activities. About 80 percent of graduates pursue post secondary education.
Community education offers adult basic education, early childhood family education and adult and youth enrichment programs. Richfield seeks to prepare all learners for success in a changing world by developing their knowledge and abilities within a climate of mutual trust and respect. A supportive community has passed eight funding referenda since 1977, including a $36.9 million bond referendum in 1993 to renovate and remodel school facilities, and a 10-year technology levy in 2003. For more information, call the Superintendent’s office at 612-798-6011.
For those who prefer private education, Richfield has options whose programs and instruction are equal in quality to those of the public schools. The city is home to three parochial K-8 elementary schools, the Catholic Academy of the Holy Angels (9-12), and several schools that offer learning in specialized areas.
Blessed Trinity Catholic School operates at Penn Campus and at Nicollet Campus, offering K-8 classes. Mount Calvary Lutheran School offers K-8 at its campus on 66th Street and 16th Avenue.
The Academy of the Holy Angels has stood at the intersection of 66th Street and Nicollet Avenue since it was founded in 1931. It provides a complete secondary education for students in ninth through twelfth grades. More than 630 students are enrolled annually. Ninety percent of the academy’s graduates continue their education at a college or university.
Minnesota Partnership Academy, a public charter school, offers an extended day (7.5 hrs) to K-6 students, with heavy emphasis on reading and math. They provide special accommodations to those who do not speak English at home.
Fraser Community Services has provided education opportunities for the developmentally impaired for more than 60 years. The Fraser School provides early childhood education, childcare, respite care, home-based respite care, personal care assistance and a Family Focus program for children who are at risk for abuse and neglect. It also offers physical, occupational, speech-language and music therapy.
Minnesota Life College is a three-year, apartment living, life-skills and vocational-skills training program for young adults with learning disabilities.
Minnesota School of Business and Globe College has specialized in career training programs for more than 125 years. The schools offer both day and evening classes and accommodate both full and part-time students. Many classes are offered on-line to allow students to participate in individualized distance learning.
Early childhood education is bolstered in Richfield by the presence of many fine Montessori schools and day care centers that prepare children for entrance to formal education.
Augsburg Park Library at 7100 Nicollet Avenue, part of the Hennepin County library system, offers great resources for the entire community. Over 30 computer workstations ensure that this library is as up-to-date as its users. The library is open Monday through Saturday.
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