Original Research by School Decision on Tassel Transition
Tassel Transition is a special education school serving only twelfth grade students in Eden Prairie. It is a program of the Eden Prairie Public School District. Because the school serves a single grade, and that grade is not part of Minnesota’s state testing program for school accountability, no state assessment results are available for this school. Graduation rate data also does not apply, as the school is a transitional program for students who have reached their final year of high school eligibility, not a school that graduates students in a traditional sense. A parent looking at state test scores or a conventional graduation rate will not find them here; that is an expected outcome given the school’s purpose and grade band.
The school enrolls a small number of students, all in grade twelve. The student body is majority white, with a Black student population and an Asian student presence as the next largest groups, followed by a small number of Hispanic students and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of household income that is above what one might expect given Eden Prairie’s overall affluence. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learner status was not reported.
As a special education school, Tassel Transition is designed for students who need continued support and services beyond a typical high school program. The name itself suggests a focus on the transition from secondary school to adult life, whether that means postsecondary education, employment, or independent living. The school operates within the Eden Prairie Public School District, which serves a second-ring suburb of Minneapolis. Eden Prairie is an affluent community with a high concentration of professional jobs, anchored by major employers like Optum, C.H. Robinson, and Starkey Labs. The housing market is expensive, with home values and rents well above national medians, and the city has a highly educated adult population.
The district is facing a significant facilities challenge. A Long-Term Facilities Master Plan drafted with community input recommends considering the consolidation or closure of one to two elementary schools due to declining enrollment. This plan was scheduled for school board consideration starting in spring 2025. For a family moving into the district with a child who will need transitional special education services, this means the district’s elementary schools may be in flux, but the high school and transition programs are unlikely to be directly affected by those changes.
Tassel Transition is a small, specialized program. It does not offer the typical academic metrics or course pathways that parents evaluate for a comprehensive high school. It exists for a specific population of students who need an extra year of support and programming to bridge the gap between high school and what comes next. A parent considering this school should contact the district directly to understand the program’s curriculum, the types of transitions it supports, and how it connects to adult services. The school’s size and focus mean that every student is part of a highly individualized setting, which can be a strength for families seeking that level of attention, but it is not a setting that serves a general education population. The lack of state testing data and graduation rate is not a weakness; it is a reflection of the school’s role in the district.
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