EDUCATION
Opportunities
abound,
benefiting
residents and
businesses
alike
Photo courtesy of White Bear Lake Area Schools.
WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT 624
The City of Vadnais Heights is primarily
served by White Bear Lake Area
Schools, a district with approximately
9,000 students PreK – 12. The student
experience is well-rounded. Core
values of compassion, integrity, respect,
responsibility and service – and a
mission focused on ensuring each
student realizes their unique talents
and abilities, and makes meaningful
contributions with local and global
impact – inspire students to design and
create their future.
4-STAR EARLY CHILDHOOD
PROGRAM
The district’s four-star-rated Early
Childhood Programs (children, birth
through age five) are offered at
convenient locations in White Bear
Lake, Hugo, White Bear Township and
Vadnais Heights.
ELEMENTARY PARTNERSHIPS
Elementary students benefit from
partnerships with White Bear Center for
the Arts, White Bear Lake Area Schools
YMCA Aquatic Center, and MacPhail
Center for Music, among other local
organizations.
At Vadnais Heights Elementary,
specifically, partnership with Tamarack
Nature Center provided experiential
learning opportunities on environmental
issues as students turned an 11-acre
area behind the school into a “Bears
Backyard” outdoor classroom. At Otter
62
Northeast Metro Business
Lake Elementary, which is adjacent
to Tamarack and also serves students
living in Vadnais Heights, students visit
the nature center for seasonal outdoor
lessons.
PATHS TO SUCCESS
District high school students have the
opportunity to earn college credit in
more than 40 courses. The total value of
credits earned by WBLAHS students in
college-level courses last year was $2.4
million at University of Minnesota tuition
rates. The district’s Career Pathways
initiative also offers students a range of
options in manufacturing, construction,
IT and healthcare.
MULTI-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL
EXPERIENCES
Chinese is offered at Vadnais Heights
and Lincoln Elementary Schools,
and Spanish is offered at all other
elementary buildings. Middle school
students can take three years of
Chinese, French, German or Spanish.
WBLAHS students can study up to six
levels of American Sign Language,
Chinese, French, German and Spanish
(high school and CIS courses). The
district partners with Hangzhou Foreign
Languages School in China and with
schools in France and Germany.
connected to their child’s learning.
The district’s 1:1 initiative was made
possible by the community’s support of
the Capital Projects Levy and is part of
the district’s overall K – 12 technology
integration plan.
STEWARDSHIP & SUPPORT
The district has a AA bond rating, which
it has received from Standard and Poor’s
every year the district has applied since
2010. The district received excellence in
financial reporting awards from both the
Association of School Business Officials
and Government Finance Officers
Association for 18 consecutive years.
The community voted on a 10-year Local
Operating Levy Renewal that passed
by a margin of 80% to 20% in the fall
of 2017. More than 200 community
members participated in a new Strategic
Planning process that was approved by
the School Board in the spring of 2018,
and community members are engaged
in a Comprehensive Facilities Planning
Process that kicked off in the fall of 2018.
Learn more about the schools/programs
by viewing videos and additional
information at following website. Or
visit the schools and attend concerts,
athletic events and programs!
TECHNOLOGY
New tools allow for more collaboration,
more personalized communication
and instruction, more authentic ways
for students to demonstrate learning,
and more ways for parents to stay
651-407-7500
isd624.org