Minnetonka High School

For other uses, see Minnetonka (disambiguation).
Minnetonka High School
Location
Minnetonka, Minnesota
USA
Information
Type Public
Established 1952
Principal Jeffrey Erickson
Enrollment 3,017[1]
Mascot Skippers
Average ACT scores 2.9[2]
Colors Royal Blue and White
        
Website Minnetonka High School

Minnetonka High School, or MHS (locally referred to as Tonka), is a four-year public high school located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The school enrolls about 3,000 students, and offers four interchangeable academic curricula: International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Honors, and G (general). Newsweek ranked the school at #1199 in their 1200 best public high schools in the United States.[1]

Minnetonka High School is the only high school within Minnetonka School District, whose enrollment area comprises western Minnetonka, northern Chanhassen, Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood, Tonka Bay, Woodland, northern Victoria, and northern Eden Prairie; an area known as "South Lake Minnetonka," or simply "Minnetonka." Additionally, students come from all over the western suburbs due to open enrollment.

Minnetonka High School's Vantage Global Business Program is a magnet program which is ranked sixth in the country for developing students with strong business and entrepreneurial leadership skills. Students who graduate from this high school usually end up attending top colleges. Students also complete rigorous honors, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and research courses while incorporating internships from flagship companies into the curriculum.

Demographics

Minnetonka High School has the third largest enrollment of any high school in Minnesota, behind neighboring Lake Conference rivals Wayzata and Eden Prairie high schools. As of 2010, it has a student population of 3,017 that is 1% American Indian, 1% Hispanic, 1% black, 3% Asian, and 94% white. Minnetonka School District's catchment area has a population of 53,000 and is characterized as a bedroom community. It is predominantly white with a strong Scandinavian influence, and is considered one of the most affluent areas in the state.[3] Since the 2000s, Minnetonka has actively tried to recruit a more diverse student body through advertising and participation in The Choice Is Yours program to serve inner regions of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Academics

Minnetonka High School fares well in standardized test results and many metrics of school rank and quality. It is one of the few schools in the state to concurrently run Advanced Placement classes and the IB Diploma Programme. The school also offers Honors and G (general) classes which, unlike AP and IB, do not have curricula mediated by an external governing entity, and are meant to be less demanding. On average, 88% of students pass the IB exams (score of 3 or higher). Also, AP exams have an average pass rate of 83% (score of 3 or higher). Minnetonka averages a score of 1870 on the SAT, and 26.9 on the ACT.[2] The top 100 students score an average of 32.2 on the ACT.[3]

It is identified as a "National School of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Education, and has been given a "Five Star" rating by the Minnesota Department of Education. According to No Child Left Behind Minnetonka High School made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2006.

Technology

Starting in 2011, Minnetonka High School introduced an iPad program to further the technological teaching and learning for teachers and students. As of the 2013/2014 school year, Minnetonka has provided iPads for grades 8 through 11, and this year (2015/16) 6th graders are allowed. For the students not involved in the iPad program, they are encouraged to bring their own laptops or tablets to use during school. The middle schools and the high school all have a hefty wireless system to accommodate the iPads and other devices. Along with the iPad program, all classrooms at the high school are equipped with a Smart Board. Teachers undergo many training programs outside of the classroom to advance their knowledge of both iPads and Smart Boards. These training sessions give teachers information on things such as programs they can use in their classroom as a learning tool for students.

Athletics

Minnetonka High School is part of the Lake Conference in the Minnesota State High School League. Mascot: Skippers

Minnetonka has a fierce rivalry with Edina. Both Lake Conference teams, they've repeatedly met in conference championship games and regional finals to determine state tournament berths.

State Championships
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Tennis, Girls 2 1974, 1975
Soccer, Girls 2 2001, 2013
Cross Country Running, Girls 4 1981, 1982, 1991, 2004
Volleyball, Girls 1 1976
Football 1 2004
Swimming and Diving, Girls 3 1975, 1976, 2012
Winter Alpine Skiing, Boys 4 1996, 1998, 2000, 2012
Alpine Skiing, Girls 5 1987, 1993, 2011, 2013, 2014
Wrestling 1 1974
Hockey, Girls 3 2011, 2012, 2013
Swimming and Diving, Boys 9 1978, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2011
Basketball, Boys 3 1965, 1998, 2008
Spring Tennis, Boys 1 1974, 2015
Softball, Girls 2 1999, 2000
Lacrosse, Boys 1 2009
Track and Field, Boys 2 1976, 2012
Track and Field, Girls 7 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2013, 2014
Rugby union, Boys 2 2004, 2005
Adapted Bowling 3 2006, 2007, 2008
Total 56

Notable alumni

Feeder schools

Minnetonka School District (ISD 276)
Elementary School Middle School High School
Clear Springs Elementary Minnetonka Middle School East Minnetonka High School
Groveland Elementary Minnetonka Middle School West
Scenic Heights Elementary
Deephaven Elementary School
Excelsior Elementary School
Minnewashta Elementary School

Coordinates: 44°54′33″N 93°30′41″W / 44.9090907°N 93.5112960°W / 44.9090907; -93.5112960[8]

References

  1. 1 2
  2. 1 2 http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/newsroom/Publications/MHSProfile.pdf
  3. 1 2 http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/administration/Budget/Documents/District_Audit.pdf
  4. ↑ "Tom Staggs".
  5. ↑ "Michigan Wolverines beat Ohio State Buckeyes for seniors". ESPN.com.
  6. ↑ "Jake Gardiner". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Beau Allen". Wisconsin Badgers. University of Wisconsin. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  8. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Minnetonka High School
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