ISD's in rural MN (St. Cloud, Willmar: houses, employment, school districts)

[Devosje]

Hey,

Me and my fiance live close to the St Cloud area; we're working on our first, and were trying to find a decent school district in a more rural setting. School districts shouldn't be a high priority right now, given we dont have a kid at this moment, but neither of us like moving too much, so we want to do it one more time and be done with the moving thing, hence we're looking at schools...

We're in Rice right now, and from what we have seen, the schools around here, aside from Sartell-St Stephens, are kinda crap, and the people not all that bright. She's a small town gal, hoping to kinda avoid the bigger cities; and I'm Dutch, prefer not to be too close to a college town... We did look at the Brainerd area as far as rural setting goes, it has our highest preference right now...

We also do work in hospitals, so we don't have a concern as far as commuting goes.

Other than that, though she grew up in Minnesota, she never really planted her feet enough anywhere with a decent education system, and I've lived here for about 2.5 years, so as far as good schools go, we only know what we find on the internet..... So if anyone knows any towns with decent schools and a slower pace of life(even though life in MN is slow enough for me as it is:P), or any knowledge of the schools in brainerd, it would be of great help.

Thanks,

Hari

[allison nash]

Moose Lake is pretty rural, and seems to have a good school system, according to statistical reports. It houses a local hospiral and a state incarseration residential treatment center.

[golfgal]

I know you said you don't want to be too close to a college town but you might want to look into Marshall. Southwest State is right in Marshall but the college population is not that large and the town doesn't seem like a college town but you have the benefits of the programs offered there as well. There is a nice size hospital for the town size, great family community, good schools and many employment opportunities there.

[KregAXN]

I'll throw in my input here.

Alexandria. (woulda never guessed, would ja?)

Yes, we have a population of over 10,000 and a nice city complete with lakes, but the minute you get out of town, your rural setting automatically kicks in. We have a great ISD according to reports and what not. High scores on the MCAs, etc. Also, we aren't a college town, at all. We have the Alexandria Technical College, but it's nothing like SCSU or SJU in/around St. Cloud.

All I know about Brainerd's schools is that I guess they spent a bit too much on their brand new middle school and are reeeeeeally short on $$$. They've cut some sports and the ones they've kept, the participation fee has skyrocketed.

[jmgg]

Since you mentioned that you were Dutch, it seems to be of some importance to you in your search. You might want to check out the Edgerton/Chandler/Hatfield area in SW Minnesota. I'm sure the schools there will be above average and these are VERY Dutch communities. Just check the phone book under the letter V.

You're probably 40 miles from the nearest college town which is Marshall. Believe me, Marshall isn't much of a college town atmosphere. You'd hardly even know the college is there. Also, you're only about 50 miles from Sioux Falls for shopping.

[Sarimn00]

Well, I grew up in New London, which is a small town in Kandiyohi County. It's a town of about 1,000 and has what is considered to be a really good education system. The school is shared with the town of Spicer, so it is known as the NL-S school system. It's about a 45 minute drive to St. Cloud and a 25-30 minute drive to Willmar(all on four lane) which has Rice Memorial Hospital, which is fairly good sized. I should mention Spicer as an option, too. It's a little larger, but not by much. Both smaller town atmospheres close enough to larger areas. Good small town feel. I know a lot of people that live in those communities and are willing to drive as far as the cities to work, because they don't want to leave.

And a lot of posters have mentioned Marshall. Although I have never lived there, I have spent a lot of time there, and it is one of my alma mater's biggest competitions in sports. It's a great area, too. Bigger than the two I mentioned, but not huge. School system seems to be pretty good, too.