The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Trek Program
The TREK Program is a special education school serving kindergarten through grade twelve in Howard Lake, Minnesota, a small city roughly an hour west of the Twin Cities. Operated by the Meeker and Wright Special Education cooperative, the program is designed for students with significant disabilities who require a specialized setting that a traditional public school cannot provide. The enrollment is very small, in the single digits, with most students in the upper elementary and high school grades. Because it is a special education school, standard academic performance metrics carry little meaning in the way they would for a conventional school.
State testing data is reported, but the results need to be read with the school’s mission in mind. For the most recent year, a small number of seventh graders took the math and English language arts assessments, and the proficiency rate was reported as zero. Science testing results from an earlier year were suppressed due to very few test-takers, which is standard data-protection practice when student counts are tiny. The school’s overall proficiency index, across the limited tested subjects and grades, lands in the bottom quartile when compared against all districts in Wright County. That placement is unsurprising for a special education school that serves students whose disabilities typically place them far below grade-level academic standards. A parent evaluating this school would not look at proficiency rates as a measure of program quality; they would want to know about the services, therapeutic supports, and individualized education plans the program offers—none of which are covered in the available data.
The school environment and governance details are sparse. There is no Title I status reported, no information about discipline rates, staffing ratios, course access, or attendance patterns. The school’s directory listing describes it simply as a special education school, and that is the core fact about what it is. Because the TREK Program is part of a special education cooperative, it likely draws students from multiple school districts in the area, meaning its peer group is not defined by a single attendance boundary but by the needs of the child. Families considering the program would need to work directly with the Meeker and Wright Special Education cooperative and their home district to understand placement, transportation, and the specific services offered.
Howard Lake itself is a small, modest town built around U.S. Highway 12 and its namesake lake. The local economy is anchored by a cabinet manufacturer that employs many residents. Housing values in the area are close to the state median, and the town has seen only slow, steady growth over the past couple of decades. It is a car-dependent community with little street life beyond its small downtown core. For a family whose child is placed in the TREK Program, the location matters for commute and for access to community amenities, but the school itself is not a neighborhood school drawing from a defined residential zone.
The bottom line for a family reading this is straightforward. The TREK Program exists for students whose disabilities require a separate, specialized educational setting. Standardized test scores and district comparison data are not useful tools for evaluating it; they reflect the population served, not the quality of instruction or support. Anyone considering this school should go directly to the Meeker and Wright Special Education cooperative to learn about the program’s staffing, therapy offerings, transition services, and how placements are made. The available data gives a structural outline but leaves the essential questions unanswered.
See more original research from School Decision →