Original Research by School Decision on Abe Diploma Program
The ABE Diploma Program is an alternative high school serving twelfth-grade students exclusively. Located in Apple Valley, it operates under the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, a large suburban district in Dakota County that is the city’s largest employer. Every student enrolled here is in twelfth grade, which means the school’s entire focus is on helping students complete their high school diplomas.
The school is small. Its enrollment reflects a racially and ethnically diverse student body, with no single group forming a majority. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, Hispanic students, and Asian students, with smaller numbers of students who are two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with above-average economic need. Data on the share of students with Individualized Education Programs or those classified as English learners was not available in the information provided.
Because the ABE Diploma Program is an alternative school, the standard measures of academic performance used elsewhere in the district do not apply here. There are no state assessment results reported for this school, and no graduation rate is available in the data provided. A four-year graduation rate is typically calculated for all high schools, but for a school that enrolls only twelfth graders, a parent may want to ask the school directly about its completion rate and how it tracks outcomes for its students. The comparison to other Dakota County districts could not be carried out on proficiency, graduation, or chronic absenteeism because the school’s data for those metrics was missing.
The school exists within the broader context of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district, which has made several notable changes in recent years. The district opened a new elementary school, Emerald Trail Elementary, in Rosemount, expanding capacity and redrawing attendance boundaries. It also launched 196Online, a full-time virtual school option that gives families a permanent alternative to in-person instruction, with its own high school program. An operating referendum passed that generates a substantial portion of the district’s general fund revenues from local property taxes, a financial structure that directly affects funding for class sizes, programs, and staffing.
Apple Valley itself is a suburban, car-dependent community that was originally farmland and saw rapid growth from incorporation through 2020. That growth has slowed considerably, with a modest recent decline in population, suggesting the city may have reached a mature stage of development. Housing stock is tight, with low vacancy and values and rents that have been rising. The city’s pattern is one of dispersed civic and school buildings rather than a concentrated downtown core. Major employers include the school district itself, Target, Walmart, and the Minnesota Zoo, which is a prominent local institution.
The ABE Diploma Program occupies a specific niche. It is not a comprehensive high school offering a full range of courses, activities, or extracurriculars, nor is it a school one would evaluate on the same metrics as a traditional high school. It is a targeted program aimed at students who need an alternative pathway to earn a diploma, typically those who have faced challenges in a conventional school setting or who are behind on credits. For a family considering this school, the core question is whether it offers the structure, support, and track record needed to get a student to graduation. Because the standard public data does not report outcomes for this school, including its graduation rate or any test-based measures, a parent should contact the school directly to understand its completion rates, the specific support services it provides, and how it prepares students for life after high school.
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