In this article we shall talk about schools inside and in the vicinity, of the city of Prior Lake, Minnesota, more specifically, the school district that it is in, which is Prior Lake-Savage School District, consisting of Prior Lake itself, and unsurprisingly, the city of Savage, also in Minnesota. All the schools that we will be talking about and explaining to you are all high school and above. There seem to be only one high school after we narrow our discussion to these criteria, and thus, we will be talking about this high school only.
Prior Lake High School (PLHS) is located in Savage, Minnesota, covering grades 9-12. The school is part of the South Suburban Conference. It has approximately 3,000 students currently enrolled, along with a teaching and administrative staff of around 400. A book, “Another Planet: A Year in the Life of a Suburban High School”, was written by author Elinor Burkett and paints an inaccurate portrait of life in the school and around the city of Prior Lake. In 2003 when the new high school building opened its doors in its current location of Savage, MN, the decision was made to keep the name “Prior Lake” High School because of the rich history of the school. The principal’s name is John Bezek. The school currently utilizes a 6-period system.
As for more information about the school, the Washington Post named PLHS one of America’s Most Challenging High Schools in the nation, placing the school in the top 10 percent of U.S. high schools. Additionally, approximately 95% of students attend two- or four-year colleges/universities. They also got named one of the best high schools in America by Newsweek Magazine based on its quality teaching staff along with its Advanced-Placement and college-level course offerings.
Technology is integrated into the curriculum, including online and hybrid course electives, and SMART Board technology. Students also choose from a full range of English, science, math, social studies, PhyEd/Health, fine arts and world language offerings.
PLHS is committed to the E-STEM Opens a New Window. initiative through programs such as Project Lead the Way, EcoTeam, robotics and through our small-scale Fabrication Labratory, or Fab Lab. In the Fab Lab, students can make almost anything from decals to phone cases. PLHS is proud to be part of a 2013 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Sustainability District Opens a New Window. that supports Environmental Education.
As for statistics, here are some. The school is 90% White, 5% Asian, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic, and 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native. The student to teacher ratio is 21:1 and only 7% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program.
In 2009 the school faced issues with overcrowding, with about 200 extra students over capacity enrolled in the high school. A Growth Task Force was created to find solutions to the issue, which included closing open enrollment.
We hope this article has been informative to you about the schools that are high school and above located in Prior Lake, Minnesota.