The Minneapolis Public Schools, the largest school district in Minnesota, provides students with a truly international education that will better prepare them for life in a global community. Students in the districts who are currently learning English also speak one of 90 other languages in their home. Families may choose community or magnet schools, with at least 10 school options available for kindergarten families and more than 15 programs available for high school students. Ninety-eight percent of incoming kindergarten families receive their first choice. The district introduced all-day kindergarten in 2001.
While many districts are cutting funding for arts programs, 35 Minneapolis Public Schools have received a $10 million Annenberg Challenge Grant to integrate the arts throughout the curriculum, a strategy that has been shown to improve academic achievement. Middle school students benefit from a $650,000 grant from the Medtronic Foundation that is revitalizing the kindergarten through fifth grade science program. Nearly $10 million from the Walling family makes college scholarships available for Minneapolis Public School seniors to further their education in college.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Minneapolis public schools as of the 2002–2003 school year.
Total enrollment: 43,429 (excludes charter schools)
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 63
middle schools: 8
senior high schools: 7
other: 6 special education schools; 31 alternative schools
Student/teacher ratio: 18.4:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $31,549
maximum: $73,143
Funding per pupil: $10,226 (actual expenditures, 2003)
Hennepin County is served by 45 private schools offering alternative educational curricula.
Public Schools Information: Minneapolis Public Schools, 807 Northeast Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55413-2398; telephone (612)668-0000.
The University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, a state institution with an enrollment of more than 45,000 full-time students, is located in Minneapolis. The university ranks among the nation's top 20 universities. Five degree levels—baccalaureate, first-professional, master's, intermediate, and doctorate—are available in 250 fields, including architecture, medicine, engineering, journalism, management, teacher education, public health, and music. Former students and faculty members have been awarded 12 Nobel Prizes in physics, medicine, chemistry, economics, and peace.
Augsburg College and North Central Bible College, private religious institutions, award associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design offers four-year programs in fine and applied arts. Community and technical colleges in the metropolitan area include Minneapolis Community College, Minneapolis Technical College, and Hennepin Technical College.
The Minneapolis Public Library operates a Central Library and 14 branches. The Central Library has the largest collection of any public library in Minnesota. In 2000 a $140 million referendum was passed for the building of a new Central Library and improvements to all 14 branches over a 10-year period. In 2002 the Central Library collection was moved to a branch location for the rebuilding of the new Central Library, opening spring 2006. The new, $110 million, five-story facility will house more books and computers, community spaces, a gallery, a proposed planetarium, and other features.
The University of Minnesota Libraries—Twin Cities, also located in Minneapolis, have total holdings of more than 6 million volumes in major academic departments and more than 36,000 periodical subscriptions. Special collections include literature on ballooning, the Hess Dime Novel Collection, the Charles Babbage Institute, and the Performing Arts Archives. The library is a depository for federal and state documents. The Immigration History Research Center at the university houses one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of the immigrant past.
More than 70 special libraries and research centers serve the city. Most are affiliated with state and county government agencies, businesses and corporations, hospitals, churches and synagogues, and arts organizations.
Public Library Information: Minneapolis Public Library, 250 Marquette Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401; telephone (612)630-6000; fax (612)630-6210