Falcon View Connections High School, Woodbury MN

Original Research by School Decision on Falcon View Connections High School

Falcon View Connections High School is a full-time online public high school serving grades nine through twelve. It operates as part of the Wabasha-Kellogg School District, a district that runs both traditional in-person schools in the town of Wabasha and a growing set of online programs under the Connections Academy model. The high school’s administrative location is in Woodbury, a fast-growing suburban city in the eastern Twin Cities metro area, separate from the district’s main campus. Publicly reported information indicates the district’s online program is still expanding and currently covers kindergarten through tenth grade, meaning the high school component may be relatively new or still building out its full upper-grade capacity.

Academically, the most recent state testing data shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency was at a moderate level. In math, proficiency was substantially lower. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quarter among Washington County districts. Science testing results from a few years earlier, from grades that are not part of this high school, are available but do not reflect the current high school program. A graduation rate is not reported, which is a notable gap; families may want to ask the school directly about on-time completion and postsecondary outcomes. Chronic absenteeism data is also missing.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or of two or more races. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. The school enrolls a few hundred students across all four high school grades, making it a moderate-sized program for an online school. Information on special education services and English learner support was not available in the data reviewed.

Woodbury, where the school is based, is one of Minnesota’s fastest-growing cities. It is a largely car-dependent suburban community with residential subdivisions, strip retail, and business parks. The city has an extensive network of paved trails and many parks. Major employers include a large health system, the local school district, Target, and 3M. Housing values and rents are above national averages, reflecting the area’s desirability and strong job market. The city lacks a traditional downtown; civic life centers on a complex that includes city hall, an indoor park, a library, and a YMCA.

For a family considering this school, the key context is that it is an online-only high school offered by a district that also runs brick-and-mortar schools elsewhere. That model suits families who want schedule flexibility, a self-paced environment, or who live beyond commuting distance to a traditional school but are considering the district’s virtual option. The academic results, particularly in math, are an area a parent may want to explore further with the school, including how the online curriculum provides support, intervention, and pacing. The absence of a reported graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data also warrants direct inquiry. The school’s location in a growing, affluent suburb may appeal to families in the area, though the online format means the physical location is an administrative base rather than a daily campus.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 11 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

649 schools plotted. 88 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 18% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 20% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolWabasha-Kellogg School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income44%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income54%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income20%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income79%Higher-income49%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income47%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income30%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income22%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income4%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income35%28 pp gap