Anoka-Hennepin has 13 specialty/magnet schools and programs. Each specialty/magnet school offers the same core curriculum as other district schools, but with a unique emphasis, including: the arts, science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM/STEAM); International Baccalaureate (IB); and world studies. 

Elementary schools:

• Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and Environmental Science.
• Evergreen Park Elementary - STEM School of Innovation
• Hoover Elementary School - Biomedical, Health Sciences, and Engineering.
• Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts.
• Monroe Elementary School - Mathematics, Children's Engineering and Science.
• University Avenue Elementary School - Aerospace, Children's Engineering and Science.

Middle schools:

• Anoka Middle School for the Arts.
• Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science.

High schools:

• Anoka High School- Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
• Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science. 
• Champlin Park High School - International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
• Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering. 
• Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP).

Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD)

The district is also part of NWSISD, a collaborative of seven area school districts in the northwest metro providing schools and communities with a variety of programs and services to promote racial equity and cultural awareness. The seven member districts of NWSISD are: Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Brooklyn Center Schools, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools, Elk River Area School District, Fridley Public Schools, Osseo Area Schools and Rockford Area Schools.

These schools are part of Anoka-Hennepin the NWSISD consortium:

• Anoka Middle School for the Arts.
• Anoka High School- Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM). 
• Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science. 
• Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering.
• Evergreen Park Elementary - STEM School of Innovation.
• University Avenue Elementary School - Aerospace, Children's Engineering and Science.

NWSISD schools are public schools of choice, offering comprehensive, rigorous, thematic curriculum intended to attract students from a wide range of racial, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Students who live outside a specialty/magnet school’s attendance zone can apply for an opportunity to enroll in the specialty/magnet school or program. Entrance into NWSISD specialty/magnet schools and programs is application-based and open to all students who live within the seven-member district boundaries.

Space at NWSISD specialty/magnet elementary and middle schools is reserved first for students who live in the school's attendance area, then all in-district students and NWSISD consortium students are placed in a lottery. Transportation for students outside Anoka-Hennepin is provided by the NWSISD.

Application to enroll in these schools is handled by NWSISD. The priority application period runs mid-October through the end of December, with lotteries taking place the beginning of January. Students who apply during this period have the greatest chance of being placed in a specialty/magnet school. NWSISD will maintain a waiting pool of students that apply but are not assigned to a NWSISD specialty/magnet school. Students that apply during the priority application period will be notified of the results of the lottery by mid-January.

To learn more about NWSISD, its application timeline and to apply via online application, please visit: nws.k12.mn.us. You may also contact them at 763-450-1303 with any questions about the form or application process.

Specialty schools

These school programs are part of Anoka-Hennepin and open to Anoka-Hennepin students via in-district transfer:

• Champlin Park High School - International Baccalaureate (IB) programme.
• Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and Environmental Science.
• Hoover Elementary School - Biomedical, Health Sciences, and Engineering.
• Jackson Middle School for Math and Science.
• Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts.
• Monroe Elementary School - Mathematics, Children's Engineering and Science.

These are open to Anoka-Hennepin students via in-district transfer and to students from other districts through the state's open enrollment process on a space available basis. In-district transfer and open enrollment forms are due by Jan. 15. These schools are not part of the NWSISD, therefore transportation needs to be provided by families.

No. Once a family is approved for a school, they are eligible to stay at that school through the grade level that school serves as long as they stay enrolled. For students transitioning to a new level the upcoming school year (middle or high school), placement letters are sent to families early December to inform them ot the placement for their school in the upcoming school year..

In-district transfers are only good for that school level (elementary/middle school). Students will be placed at the next school based on their home address. If families previously had an approved in-district transfer, they would have to submit a new application when moving to middle school or high school.

Students are eligible to at least finish out the current school year at the school they are attending, but the parent/guardian is responsible for transportation. They would need to fill out an in-district transfer or open enrollment form, depending on where they move, if they intend to stay enrolled at the current school.

If the student has completed two or more years at that school, they are eligible to stay at that school through the grade level that school serves as long as they stay enrolled.

Anoka-Hennepin Schools has sibling preference, but it is not a guaranteed acceptance. Applicant students who have a sibling already attending the school they are applying for, and that sibling will still be attending that school the same year being applied for, will be looked at ahead of those without out that consideration.

 Welcome to kindergarten in the Anoka-Hennepin School District! Our kindergarten philosophy is:

• Children are valuable and unique individuals, capable of learning.
• Children develop socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually with individual patterns of growth.
• Children learn best when home, school, and community work as a team.

Download the print-friendly Welcome to Kindergarten flier and the print-friendly parent/guardian handbook. Reach out to your neighborhood elementary with any questions. View the print-friendly Getting Ready for Kindergarten flyer for resources. Use the school finder tool to learn of your child's school.

How to register and enroll

Anoka-Hennepin elementary schools typically host a kindergarten registration event between March and May. For the 2022-23 school year, online registration is now open (details above) and open houses are tentatively set for August. 

If you don't receive an electronic invitation from your neighborhood school, it means your child is not in the district database. If your child is not in our database, please call the school serving your address. Check out the school directory for addresses and phone numbers. 

If you don't live within Anoka-Hennepin but would like your child to attend an Anoka-Hennepin school, you can electronically apply for enrollment through Minnesota's open enrollment program.

A child must be five (5) years on or before Sept. 1 of the year in which he or she enrolls. If a child attended a Montessori school, and the Montessori school certifies that the child has successfully completed kindergarten requirements, the parent should take the child to the public school with that information. Staff will review it and likely enroll the child in first grade. 

School-age care

Contact Adventures Plus at 763-506-1400 or visit ahschools.us/adventuresplus for details and registration information.

Learn more about preparing for kindergarten from the Anoka-Hennepin Early Learning program.

Screening is an early look at a child's development. The goal is to screen a child before s/he turns 4-years old. This allows health and developmental concerns to be addressed at least one to two years before a child enters kindergarten. The state of Minnesota requires a health and developmental screening for every child before kindergarten entry into a public school. Anoka-Hennepin offers this service at no cost. Screening is not a substitute for health care from your family physician, dentist or other health care providers.

Early childhood screening checks:

• Fine and gross motor skills
• Vision and hearing
• Speech and language development
• Height and weight
• Cognitive and social development
• Immunizations

Schedule early childhood screening appointments online or call 763-506-2400 to make an appointment. View the print-friendly information.

The forms below may be helpful to you, or you may be asked to fill them out as part of the screening process.

• Early childhood screening information form
• Parent early childhood screening letter
• Early childhood immunization form
• Student information form for early childhood screening

A child must be five (5) years on or before Sept. 1 of the year in which he or she enrolls in kindergarten. Parents can apply for early entrance into kindergarten for children who are almost 5 years old. 

Parents and guardians of children whose fifth birthdays fall between Sept. 2 and Oct. 31 can submit an application (see below) to have students considered for that year's kindergarten class instead of waiting until the next year. 

What characterizes students who are accepted for early entrance into kindergarten?

Expectations for early entrance are set high to ensure that students are not frustrated by their advanced grade placement. The Minnesota State standards for kindergarten and the kindergarten curriculum are rigorous. Examples of early entrance characteristics.

Who is eligible to apply for early entrance into kindergarten?

Minnesota Statute states that a child must be five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year, in order to
enroll in kindergarten. Early entrance into kindergarten is designed for students who reside in the Anoka-Hennepin School District attendance areas, turn 5 between September 2nd and October 31st, and demonstrate advanced learning needs. 

What is the identification process for early entrance into kindergarten?

The identification process for early entrance into kindergarten consists of three phases. After each phase, children whom have met the criteria established for that particular phase will be authorized to continue toward the next phase.

• Application (phase one): The Anoka-Hennepin application for early entrance into kindergarten, available after March 1. Application must be electronically submitted on or before May 1, 2023. In order for the application to be considered complete, a copy of the child’s birth certificate and their preschool screening summary must be sent to Karin Arnsdorf, or mailed to the attention of Karin Arnsdorf at Anoka-Hennepin Schools, 2727 N. Ferry St., Anoka, 55303. Families may schedule an appointment for preschool screening, or secure a copy of the summary, by calling 763-506-2400. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Academic readiness screening (phase two): All applicants will participate in an academic readiness screening in early June. Families will receive a mailing with information regarding scheduling their child’s screening appointment. District talent development teachers with teaching and learning specialists will conduct an initial screening to assess the child’s readiness level and determine whether or not the child moves to the formal assessment phase. Screening results will be shared with parents. Students not moving forward may enroll in kindergarten in the fall of 2024 when they are five years of age. Please allow up to 60 minutes for this appointment
• Formal assessment (phase three): Children moving forward with the early entrance into kindergarten identification process will be assessed formally by an Anoka-Hennepin licensed school psychologist in late-June. The school psychologist will administer an intellectual ability assessment that takes typically one hour to complete and results will be shared with parents that day. Please allow up to 90 minutes for this appointment.

How will I know if my child has met the criteria for early entrance into kindergarten?

For students who have continued into the formal assessment phase, results and the placement decision will be shared with parents immediately following the formal assessment in June. Children must receive a superior score on the formal assessment to be considered for early entrance into kindergarten. In addition, they must demonstrate a high-level of maturity and independently display academic motivation. All decisions are final.

If my child qualifies to enter kindergarten early, what is the registration process?

Children accepted for early entrance into kindergarten will be informed of available programming options and will complete a new student information form on the day of the formal assessment in June. During the first 30 days, the school and families have the opportunity to review the placement to determine if early entrance kindergarten is in the best interest of the child. 

Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

Questions may be directed to 763-506-1061.

• Middle school transition guide
• High school transition guide
• Ten tips for success in school

• School maps, attendance boundaries
• School finder
• Calendars
• Back-to-school info (supply lists, start/end times, etc.) (accessible mid-late summer)
• Transportation department