St. Francis schools report enrollment growth, 94.2% graduation rate; special board election set

Annette West, vice chair of the St. Francis Area Schools board, told the Oak Grove City Council on June 30 that district enrollment for 2024–25 was 4,312 students and the Class of 2024 posted a 94.2% graduation rate.

West said the district adopted new social‑studies curriculum for grades 6–12 and a new science curriculum for grades 9–12 to implement the updated Minnesota State Standards. She also announced a new Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program for students who study two or more languages; 10 students earned bilingual world‑language college credit in 2024–25.

The district reported academic honors and extracurricular progress: 28 highest‑honor graduates, 34 honor graduates, 22 National Honor Society members, and multiple state qualifiers in athletics and activities. West also noted staff recognitions, including a teacher who reached the semifinals for Minnesota Teacher of the Year and a principal named Central Division Middle School Principal of the Year.

West said the district honored 16 retirees at its May 20 meeting and that St. Francis Area Schools received a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International.

The board will hold a special election to fill a recent vacancy. Candidate filings open July 29 and run through Aug. 12 at the district office; the special election is scheduled for Nov. 4. West directed residents to the district website to sign up for the online communications newsletter for further details and said she can email the signup link to residents who request it.

West spoke without distributing a slide deck; the council did not take action on district items at the June 30 meeting.

A council member thanked West for attending and for the district’s outreach to Oak Grove officials.