The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on 917 Riverside School
917 Riverside School is an alternative school in Hastings, Minnesota, serving grades six through twelve. It operates under Intermediate School District 917, an intermediate district that provides special education, career and technical education, and alternative learning services to nine member school districts. The school’s alternative designation means it is designed for students who benefit from a setting outside the typical comprehensive school, though specific program details were not available in the data.
The school is very small. Enrollment skews heavily toward the upper grades, with most students in eleventh and twelfth grade. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is diverse in terms of race and ethnicity: no single group holds a majority, and the enrollment includes students who identify as Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, white, and two or more races. Information on special education and English learner populations was not reported.
State testing results are available for a single grade in the most recent year. In seventh-grade math and English language arts, proficiency rates were very low. Science data from an earlier year was suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers. Because the school is small and the tested cohort is extremely limited, these results should be interpreted cautiously, but the available numbers show that no students in that grade met the proficiency bar. The school’s overall proficiency index, when compared to other districts in Dakota County, placed in the bottom quartile. No graduation rate was reported, which is common for alternative schools where students may follow nontraditional timelines or transfer rather than graduate from the same site. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing. The school does not appear to offer a wide array of extracurricular programs, though the data does not detail course access.
Hastings is a historic river town and the county seat of Dakota County. It has evolved into a Twin Cities suburb while keeping a small-town character, with a historic downtown along the Mississippi River, extensive paved trails, and several parks including Vermillion Falls Park. The city’s economy includes flour milling, manufacturing, and government employment. The population has stabilized in recent years, and the housing market shows home values near the state median. Rents are also in line with broader averages. The area is car-dependent, with no fixed-route public transit, though commuter rail studies are preliminary.
The district, Intermediate School District 917, is not a traditional school district with geographic boundaries. It exists to serve students from multiple member districts who need specialized settings. A search for recent district changes did not surface any parent-relevant developments with lasting impact. The school itself appears to operate with a focused mission, and its small size and alternative structure mean it draws a particular population of students. For a parent considering this school, the most important context is that the academic achievement as measured by state tests is very low, and the school’s purpose is to serve students for whom a standard high school environment has not worked. A parent would want to discuss directly with the school what pathways and supports are available, how students transition to postsecondary life, and what the school’s graduation or completion outcomes look like—none of that information was present in the data provided.
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