Original Research by School Decision on South Washington Alternative Hs
South Washington Alternative HS serves students in seventh through twelfth grade and is designated as an alternative school within the South Washington County Schools district. The school enrolls a small student body, and because the school serves an alternative population, state testing data was largely not reported in a way that allows for a standard academic performance comparison. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school reported a proficiency rate of zero percent in both English language arts and math, though this figure represents a single year of data from an alternative setting where traditional proficiency measures may not capture student progress in the same way they would in a comprehensive school. Science testing data from an earlier year was suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers. A parent looking at this school should expect that standard state assessment results will not provide a meaningful picture of student learning and should ask the school directly about how it measures academic growth and readiness.
The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest single group, followed by Black and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, two or more races, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial share of families have lower incomes. The school does not serve the full grade span evenly; enrollment is concentrated heavily in the upper grades, with the majority of students in twelfth grade, a smaller group in eleventh, and only a handful in grades seven, eight, and ten. This grade distribution is typical for an alternative program, where students often transfer in during high school to recover credits or find a different learning environment.
The school is located in Cottage Grove, a growing suburban community about ten miles south of Saint Paul. Cottage Grove is primarily residential, with a significant amount of park land, a business park, and commercial corridors along Highway 61. The population has increased notably since the 2020 census, and the city has adopted a comprehensive plan to guide continued development. Housing values are above the national median, and the area is car-dependent, with most residents commuting by car to jobs in the broader Twin Cities metro. The presence of major employers such as 3M provides a local economic base. There is no traditional downtown, and public buildings and schools are spread across separate campuses.
As an alternative school, South Washington Alternative is not designed to mirror the experience of a traditional middle or high school. Students who enroll are likely seeking a smaller setting and a different approach to completing their education. The school sits within a larger district that operates multiple comprehensive high schools, but this campus serves a specific population of students who have been referred or have chosen a nontraditional pathway. The district brief did not reveal any recent major changes or initiatives at the district level, so publicly available information about the alternative program's curriculum, support services, and postsecondary outcomes is limited.
A parent considering this school should expect that the peer environment will be small and that the student body includes a high share of older teens working toward graduation. Standard academic metrics are largely absent or uninformative for this type of school, so the decision will rest on what the program offers in terms of credit recovery, individualized instruction, counseling, and transition support for students who have struggled in a conventional school setting. Families should contact the school directly to understand the structure of the academic day, the availability of electives or career pathways, and how the school prepares students for life after high school, whether that means a diploma, further training, or employment.
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