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Wayzata High School

Wayzata High School is a comprehensive public high school in Plymouth, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The high school, operated by Wayzata Public Schools, had about 3711 students in grades 9 to 12 as of 10/1/23, making it Minnesota's largest secondary school by enrollment. It is also Minnesota's largest secondary school by size, with an interior of 658,000 square feet (61,100 m²). The district boundaries include all or part of eight municipalities: Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata. The school finished an expansion project in 2017 with the new capacity of 3,900. It is part of the Lake Conference. Scott Gengler is the principal.

In 2015, Newsweek ranked the school 150th on its "List of the 500 Top High Schools in America". U.S. News & World Report ranked the school 432nd among 21,000 schools nationally and 6th in Minnesota in 2021.

History

The first school in the Wayzata area was established in around 1855. Classes were taught in homes until a one-room school was built near what is now the second green of the Wayzata Country Club. This school burned down (for unknown reasons) and a new school was constructed on what is now Wayzata's main street near downtown Wayzata.

What are now the West and Central middle schools were each once the high school building. The West Middle School building served as the high school from 1940 to 1960. Central Middle School's campus was home to the high school from 1960 to 1997. The current Wayzata High School campus was completed in 1997 and classes began in the 1997–98 school year.

On February 25, 2014, voters approved a referendum for a $109 million bond request to expand the high school and improve security and technology. Part of the provisions include the purchasing of adjacent land belonging to the Elm Creek Golf Course and the building of a new wing. Construction took place from 2014 to 2017.

Academics

As of the 2015–16 school year, Wayzata High School offers 24 Advanced Placement classes and one Advanced Placement Pilot course (AP Accounting).

The school also hosts the Minnesota PSEO program, allowing students in 11th and 12th grades to receive college credit.

Wayzata High School has consistently exceeded the state and national average scores on the ACT.

In 2014, the school began a district-wide technology program that issued each student a district-owned iPad.

At the start of the 2016–17 school year, the school started a new support block called OurTime (formally called MyTime). It is designed to meet the student's academic needs during the school day. During this time, students receive academic support, participate in relearning, make-up labs or tests and quizzes, study quietly, and collaborate with classmates on group projects. The block is 30 minutes long and takes place between 1st and 2nd blocks.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Wayzata is part of the Lake Conference and in the Minnesota State High School League. Wayzata was in the Classic Lake Conference before 2010–11. The school sponsors the following sports teams:

Girls' cross country won the Nike NXN National Cross Country Championship in 2013.

Clubs and activities

In the 2019 National Science Bowl Competition, Wayzata High School won the Final Championship against Dulles High School. The school also participated in the competition in 2011, 2014, 2018, and 2020.

Wayzata's quiz bowl team won both the NAQT Minnesota State Championship and Minnesota High School Quiz Bowl League in 2012, 2013, 2018, 2020, and 2021. It has performed well at the national level, placing T-8 in the High School National Championship Tournament in 2018 and 2021.

Wayzata participates in the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League, holding the season champion title for 11 years (2007–2017) and producing many state individual champions. Several Wayzata students travel to the American Regions Mathematics League held in University of Iowa and Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament as members of the Minnesota All-State Mathematics Team.

The 9th grade Knowledge Master Open team won the national spring KMO in the 9th grade division in 2009. The trivia team has been continued by two Questions Unlimited 3-2-1 teams, each composed of students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Wayzata's Volunteer Club serves as one of the premier volunteering clubs in the state, focusing on community development, education, and fostering relationships. Notable partnerships include elementary school carnival support, Salvation Army donations, and removal of invasive Buckthorn species.

Notable alumni

Politicians

David Gaither (1975), former Minnesota state senator and Governor Tim Pawlenty's Chief of Staff
Betsy Hodges (1987), former mayor of Minneapolis
Amy Klobuchar (1978), U.S. senator representing Minnesota