Rochester Public Schools

Updates and Events

Rochester Public Schools awareness and partnership in regards to Coronavirus.

RPS shares an update on district awareness and partnerships with the outbreak of of the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19).

RPS Census 2020 icon with a family playing with pillows at home in the background

Every 1 Counts: 2020 Census

The 2020 Census will begin nationwide on March 12. Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. Most households will receive an invitation in the mail.

Diverse high school students working on computers in a lab

Paving the Way with P-TECH 535

Rochester Public Schools has received a two-year, $1 million grant from the Minnesota Department of Education to design and open the first Pathways in Technology Early College High (P-TECH) school in the state of Minnesota.

Female student in graduation gown and cap giving a speech behind a podium on a high school auditorium stage.

2019 Graduation Rates Show Gains in Subgroups

RPS celebrates several accomplishments with the 2019 graduation data released by Minnesota Department of Education.

Mar 30

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Fast Facts

Our mission is to inspire, challenge, and empower all students with the knowledge and skills required to reach their full potential, to contribute to future generations, and to become involved members of a global community.

As the 7th largest district in Minnesota we serve more than 18,300 students and continue to grow.

As one of the top three employers in Rochester, we currently employee over 3,000 staff members.

63.3% of our teachers hold a Master’s Degree or the equivalency.

We strive to provide our students with different opportunities for learning including early childhood education, quality neighborhood schools, district-wide programs and schools, alternative learning, and adult education.

In the 2017-2018 school year, we had a 4-year graduation rate of 87.01%, and our graduation rates continue to surpass the state average of 83.20%. Our three high schools combined had a 92% graduation rate.

Our district celebrates diversity with more than 80 spoken languages in our schools.

We offer three full-service community schools at Gage Elementary School, Riverside Central Elementary School, and Rochester Alternative Learning School.

Hawthorne Education Center offers Adult Basic Education, English as a second language, and college programs for our community members.

Rochester Public Schools Distance Learning Extension: April 6-April 30

On March 25, Governor Walz announced an executive order for Minnesotans to “Stay at Home” beginning Friday, March 27, at 11:59 PM through Friday, April 10. The Governor authorized the Education Commissioner to extend Distance Learning from March 30 through at least April 30.

What this means for Rochester Public Schools students:

DISTANCE LEARNING

Spring Break for RPS students is Friday, March 27, through Sunday, April 5.
- Distance Learning will not occur during Spring Break
Distance Learning will begin for all RPS students, other than Longfellow Elementary students, on Monday, April 6.
Distance Learning will begin for Longfellow Elementary students on Monday, April 13.
You can expect communication from your school on or before Monday, April 6, on what Distance Learning will look like for your child.
At this time, Distance Learning will occur Monday, April 6, through April 30. The Minnesota Department of Education will continue to re-evaluate the Distance Learning schedule, and this is subject to an extension. In the event that we are able to return to learning in the classroom in May, the first day back for students would be Tuesday, May 5. The Commissioner of Education reserved Friday, May 1, and Monday, May 4, for “planning” days for our district staff. Staff would report these days, students would not. Again, this is subject to change.

CHILD CARE

Beginning April 6, the District will continue emergency child care for Tier 1 and Tier 2 emergency workers, including Rochester Public Schools staff whose work cannot be done from home.

Care for school-age children age 12 and under will be available at four sites:
- Jefferson Elementary for students who attend Folwell, Jefferson, Lincoln, Riverside
- Franklin Elementary for students who attend Bamber, Franklin/MAF, Longfellow, Pinewood
- Gage Elementary for students who attend Churchill, Gage, Gibbs, Hoover
- Sunset Terrace Elementary for students who attend Bishop, Elton Hills, Sunset, Washington
All participants must register weekly during this period, even those who participated during the previous period.
Registration for April 6-10 care is available online. Please register by Friday, April 3.
Participants must be fever free, must not have had direct exposure in the last fourteen days to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, and must not have traveled themselves in the last fourteen days to a country with a Level III Travel Health Notice by the Centers for Disease Control.

MEAL SERVICE

The District will continue to provide meal service for our students during this time frame.

March 30 - April 3: Walk/Drive-Up Service available at Gage Elementary, Riverside Elementary, Sunset Terrace Elementary, John Adams Middle, Willow Creek Middle, and Mayo High from 11 AM - 12:30 PM on weekdays.
April 6 - May 4, weekdays: the current plan is for Walk/Drive-Up Service at the six schools listed above, plus, Grab-and-Go meals at 18 other locations. We are still working on these details and will share the details on our website, social media, and through Skylert communications.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this constantly changing time. Thank you to our families, our volunteers, and all of the critical workers on the front lines of this pandemic. Together, we will get through this.

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