Original Research by School Decision on 917 Tesa
917 TESA is a special education school in Rosemount, Minnesota, serving students in grades seven through twelve. It is part of Intermediate School District 917, which is an intermediate district that provides specialized services to nine member districts across the region. The school’s focus is on students who require an alternative or transitional educational setting, and its enrollment is concentrated entirely in twelfth grade, suggesting it functions as a placement for older students working toward completion of their secondary education.
The student body is small, with an enrollment that reflects the school’s specialized purpose. Slightly more than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that a substantial share come from lower-income households. Racially and ethnically, the majority of students are white, with smaller shares identifying as Hispanic, Asian, Black, two or more races, and American Indian or Alaska Native. No data was available on the number of students served under an Individualized Education Program or classified as English learners, which is notable given the school’s designation as a special education school; a parent may want to ask the school directly about the specific disability classifications and support models it offers.
State testing data is not available in a usable form. The only assessment records come from a single school year in which a very small number of students were tested, and the results were suppressed for privacy reasons. This is common in specialized settings where the population is too small to report publicly without revealing individual student performance. Because the school does not serve a general education population in a traditional sense, proficiency rates and grade-level comparisons would not be meaningful here. No graduation rate was reported, which is also typical for a school whose enrollment is concentrated in a single grade and whose mission may not align with the standard four-year cohort measure.
The surrounding community of Rosemount has a mix of heavy industry, residential neighborhoods, and agricultural research facilities. The city is growing rapidly, with hundreds of homes under development and a pro-growth approach that has reserved substantial acreage for industrial and commercial use. Major employers include the Flint Hills Resources refinery, along with several other industrial firms, and the city is connected to the Twin Cities by four major highways. The housing market reflects strong demand, with home values and rents above the national median. The Rosemount Community Center and an extensive park system provide recreational amenities, and Dakota County Technical College is located within the city.
Intermediate School District 917 itself did not have any recent parent-relevant changes surfaced in public records. As an intermediate district, it exists to coordinate specialized programs across multiple member districts, so its operations are less likely to involve the kind of school board decisions or boundary changes that affect a single community.
For a family considering 917 TESA, the school is best understood as a targeted placement, not a neighborhood school. It serves a specific population of students who need an alternative or special education setting in their last year of high school. Because the data is thin on academic outcomes, discipline, staffing, and course access, any family exploring this option should seek direct information from the school and its sponsoring district about the instructional model, graduation pathways, and postsecondary transition supports available. The school’s mission is to serve students who may not thrive in a conventional high school environment, and that purpose shapes every aspect of what it offers.
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