The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Riverway Learning Community Charter
Riverway Learning Community Charter is a single charter school district in Winona County, Minnesota, serving students from early childhood through twelfth grade. It is a small district by enrollment, and its two schools—one named Riverway Secondary and another sharing the district name—operate under a single governance structure. Because it is a charter, its enrollment is self-selected; families choose to attend across the county rather than being assigned by a traditional attendance boundary.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of students who are Black, Hispanic, or identify as two or more races. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education, and English learner status are not available in the materials we reviewed. A parent wanting to understand the extent of economic or learning support needs would need to ask the school directly.
On state assessments, the picture is incomplete. District-wide, proficiency rates are reported for only a few grade levels and subjects, because many testing cohorts are too small for the state to release results without risking identification of individual students. In the grade levels where numbers are reported, performance is lower than most other public school districts in Winona County. In middle school, for example, the share of students meeting state standards in math and English language arts is below the county midpoint, and science results are notably weaker. Across all tested subjects and grades, the district’s combined proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter of Winona County’s six districts. Parents should be aware that small populations can make year-to-year comparisons unreliable, but the pattern in the available data is one of academic struggle relative to neighboring districts.
A brighter note appears in attendance. Chronic absenteeism, a measure of students missing a substantial portion of school days, is low compared with other districts in the county. That suggests that when students are enrolled, they tend to show up, even if their test results lag.
No graduation rate data are available for this district. That could be because the number of seniors is small enough that the state suppresses the figure, or because data collection did not cover the period. The district runs a full K–12 program and files as a high school–serving entity, so the absence of a graduation metric is a gap a parent would want to discuss with the administration.
Per-pupil spending is in the upper half of the county’s range, which is consistent with a small charter that may have fewer economies of scale. Without a breakdown of how that money is used, we cannot say whether it reaches the classroom in areas of particular need.
We looked for recent district news—property tax changes, curriculum shifts, referendums, or leadership decisions with lasting impact—but found none reported. The district has no publicly noted changes in the recent period that would affect a family’s decision.
Because a locale brief was not available, this narrative cannot describe the communities families commute from or the housing market context. The schools are located somewhere in Winona County, but exactly where is not provided. A parent considering this district should visit the schools or check with the county for driving distances.
Riverway Learning Community Charter fits a family looking for a small, tight-knit school environment where attendance is steady and the student body is not diverse in the way many larger districts are. It does not fit a family seeking strong state test performance relative to other Winona County options; the numbers in the grades that can be reported are well below the county median, especially in math and science. A parent with a child who needs robust academic support or advanced coursework may want to ask what interventions are in place, since the test data suggest many students are not yet meeting state benchmarks.
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