Dassel-Cokato SCHOOL
The Dassel-Cokato School District continues to be
successful, due to the strong relationships it has with the
communities of Dassel and Cokato, and families who live
there.
In 2014, DC High School made the top 30 of 610 high schools
in the state of Minnesota. For this achievement, the school
received a silver medal from US News & World Report, which
works with the American Institute for Research in Washington,
DC to generate the report, based on “the key principle that
a great high school must serve all its students well, not just
those who are college-bound.” It uses state profi ciency
benchmarks as indicators. Schools were also assessed on the
degree in which they provide college-level coursework.
To achieve its goals, the DC School District strives to
keep a healthy fund balance, competitive contracts, and
reasonable class sizes. The school board’s leadership is
student-centered and conservative, continuing a long
tradition of sound governance.
In addition to maintaining and improving programs for
students, the district is able to provide high-quality facilities
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DASSEL-COKATO VISITORS GUIDE 2019-20
for both academics and extracurriculars. In 2013, the district
implemented a new controlled access policy, installing a
buzzer and camera systems at the entrance of each building
as an added measure of security.
“Our students perform at a high level and receive
an excellent opportunity, for a low cost,” explained
Superintendent Jeff Powers. “We are an effi cient and
effective school system.”
The school district’s K-12 population is about 2,200. Schools
include Dassel Elementary, located in the heart of Dassel;
Cokato Elementary, located next to Peterson Park near
downtown Cokato; the Dassel-Cokato Alternative Learning
Center (ALC), located on Highway 12 in Cokato; and the
Dassel-Cokato High School/Middle School, and the Early
Childhood Family Education Center, all located between
Dassel and Cokato on US Highway 12.
The Cokato and Dassel communities combined schools
in 1972, building a new high school facility on Hwy. 12. In
addition, the middle school was built connected to the high
school facility, opening its doors to its fi rst students in 1990.