South Washington County Schools

What South Washington County Schools does

South Washington County Schools (operating as SoWashCo Schools) is the sixth-largest public school district in Minnesota, serving approximately 18,700 students across an 84-square-mile area encompassing seven communities southeast of St. Paul with a total resident population of roughly 98,100. The district operates 16 elementary schools (K-5), 4 middle schools (6-8), 3 comprehensive high schools (East Ridge, Park, Woodbury), and 2 non-traditional options (South Washington Alternative High School and SoWashCo Online), supplemented by early childhood programs from birth to age 5 and adult education through Great Rivers Adult Education. Specialized programming includes the Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion magnet pathway, Valley Crossing Elementary Multiage Program with gifted services, the International Baccalaureate program at Park High School, Project Lead The Way engineering and biomedical sequences, and Career and Technical Education partnerships with 3M. Thirty-seven percent of students identify as a race other than white, and the district provides multilingual services in eight languages.

The district's technology infrastructure is built on a stack of standard EdTech platforms: Infinite Campus for student information, Schoology for learning management, Google Apps for Education, ClassLink for single sign-on, and Seesaw for K-2 learning, with 1:1 device deployment (iPads K-2, Chromebooks 3-5) and Raptor visitor management for building security. Revenue is generated through a government funding model combining Minnesota state education aid, local property tax levies, and federal grants, supplemented by fee-based programs including preschool tuition, Kids Club before/after-school child care, ECFE classes, facility rental, and summer programs. Distribution channels include boundary-based enrollment, online enrollment portal (available in five languages), in-person enrollment at the District Service Center, intra-district transfers, and open enrollment capped at 1% per grade level.

Name

South Washington County Schools

Legal name

South Washington County Schools

Website

https://sowashco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) is the sixth-largest public school district in Minnesota, serving approximately 18,700 students across 25 schools and early childhood programs in an 84-square-mile area southeast of St. Paul.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Early childhood education
• Special education services
• Community education programs
• School-age child care

Headquarters

HQ city

Cottage Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: As a public school district, revenue is generated through a combination of local property tax levies, state education funding from the Minnesota Department of Education, and federal education grants and programs. The district operates under Minnesota Statutes governing public education funding.
2. Fee-Based Programs and Services: Revenue from fee-based programs including preschool tuition, Kids Club before/after school child care, facility rental, and summer programs. These programs provide supplemental revenue while serving community educational and childcare needs.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

South Washington County Schools is a public school district that delivers comprehensive K-12 education through 16 elementary, 4 middle, and 3 comprehensive high schools plus 2 non-traditional programs (South Washington Alternative High School and SoWashCo Online). The district supplements classroom instruction with early childhood programs (ECFE, ECSE, preschool), magnet pathways (Spanish Immersion, Multiage), Career and Technical Education, AVID college-readiness, and Community Education including Kids Club before/after school child care and facility rentals.

Product overview

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) is the sixth-largest school district in Minnesota serving approximately 18,700 students across a 84-square-mile area. The district operates a comprehensive educational portfolio consisting of 16 elementary schools (K-5), 4 middle schools (6-8), 3 comprehensive high schools, 2 non-traditional schools (South Washington Alternative High School and SoWashCo Online), and early childhood programs. Special programs include magnet schools such as Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion (K-5) and Valley Crossing Elementary Multiage Program, along with Career and Technical Education, AVID college-readiness, and Community Education programs including preschool and before/after school care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional K-12 Schools

Quantifiable outcome

• Grey Cloud Elementary earned Blue Ribbon School recognition from U.S. Department of Education in 2020 for educational excellence and progress in closing achievement gap
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Language Access Service ProviderscoreTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025Partnership for expanded interpreter and translation resources across multiple modalities including in-person, phone, video, and web-based translation services as part of the district's language access plan.
• Northeast Metro 916coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical Training partnership providing students at South Washington Alternative High School access to vocational and technical training programs through the Northeast Metro 916 intermediate school district.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege in Schools (CIS) program allowing high school students to earn college credits through University of Minnesota coursework at East Ridge High School.
• Century CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner916 Courses partnership providing students access to college-level coursework through Century College, offering concurrent enrollment opportunities.
• 3McoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Lead The Way engineering capstone partnerships where student teams work alongside 3M engineers to identify problems, research solutions, develop prototypes, and prepare professional presentations. 3M tutors also available for math and science support at Woodbury High School.
• Woodbury Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool Resource Officer program providing law enforcement presence at Woodbury High School and ability to respond to situations at district schools.
• Cottage Grove Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool Resource Officer program providing law enforcement presence and emergency response capability at Cottage Grove schools.
• St. Croix Valley FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusic education grant provider supporting Woodbury Middle School band students with professional musician instruction and performance opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District (District 622): Neighboring east-metro public school district of similar size and suburban profile. Directly competes for resident families at the district boundary and offers comparable K-12 programming, language immersion, and alternative high school options.
• Eden Prairie Schools: Suburban Twin Cities public school district serving around 9,500 students with strong IB, AP, and STEM offerings. Comparable as a high-performing suburban K-12 district competing for resident families in the metro area.
• Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District (District 196): Adjacent Dakota County public school district serving roughly 28,000 students in the southeast Twin Cities metro. Highly comparable suburban K-12 district with similar magnet, IB, AP, and CTE programming competing for the same regional families.
• Anoka-Hennepin School District: Largest school district in Minnesota serving approximately 38,000+ students across the northern Twin Cities metro. Directly comparable as a large suburban public K-12 district offering magnet, IB, CTE, and online programs to a comparable demographic profile.
• Lakeville Area Public Schools: South-metro suburban public school district serving approximately 11,000 students with comprehensive K-12 programming including magnet and online options. Comparable as a fast-growing suburban district competing for similar southeast metro families.
• Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools: South-metro suburban public school district of comparable scale serving the Prior Lake/Savage area. Comparable as a growing suburban K-12 district with similar programming and competing for families in the same southeast corridor.

Broad incumbents

• St. Paul Public Schools: Urban school district serving the adjacent city of St. Paul with approximately 34,000 students. Comparable as a major Minnesota K-12 district offering magnet, IB, immersion, and adult education programs to a more urban demographic in the same regional market.
• Minneapolis Public Schools: Largest urban school district in Minnesota serving approximately 30,000 students. Functions as a broader incumbent K-12 operator with extensive magnet, language immersion, and alternative programs serving a more urban demographic in the same regional market.

Regional players

• Rochester Public Schools: Large southeastern Minnesota public school district serving approximately 18,000 students in the Rochester area. Comparable in scale to SoWashCo and operates a similar comprehensive K-12 portfolio with magnet, IB, and alternative options, but serves a different geography.

Others

• Woodbury, MN (city) for context: Not a peer but the largest city within the SoWashCo service area; included as an OTHERS reference point for the demographic, property-tax, and economic context that drives district enrollment and revenue trends.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoWashCoSchools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/isd833
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoWashCoSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sowashcoschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/sowashcoschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Washington County Schools