Despite some community pushback, a small southeast Minnesota school district has made the decision to shutter its elementary school building.
Kenyon-Wanamingo will close its elementary school, citing declining enrollment
The elementary program will be consolidated into the district’s middle and high school building.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 29, 2025 at 2:57PM
The Kenyon-Wanamingo school board voted unanimously this week to close the school because of declining enrollment and the financial challenges of maintaining the building.
The district says the plan is to keep the school, in Wanamingo, open through the end of the school year before transitioning elementary students to the middle and high school building in Kenyon for the 2025-26 school year.
Beth Giese, superintendent of the Kenyon-Wanamingo school district, said that while the decision was not made lightly, it was necessary to ensure the financial sustainability of the district.
“We understand the deep ties many of you have to this site,” Giese wrote in a letter to the community. “Generations of students, staff, and families have walked its halls, building memories and traditions that are an integral part of our district’s story. The Wanamingo site has been more than just a building — it has been a place where young minds have grown, friendships have formed, and futures have been shaped.”
The school district, about 30 minutes northwest of Rochester, plans to sell the building after efforts to solicit community uses for the space failed to pan out.
The district has about 640 students, with the latest numbers showing about half as many kindergartners enrolled as high school seniors.
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