New Opportunities Being Considered for Stillwater Area High School

STILLWATER, Minn. – Oct. 9, 2025 – Stillwater Area High School staff is planning for some exciting changes for next year to give students more choices, flexibility, and real-world learning experiences.

At the October 7, 2025, School Board learning session, members of the high school planning team shared updates on several key areas:

• Expanded Pathways programming focused on college and career readiness
• Greater access to career-ready skills and credentials
• A new Online Learning Academy led by Stillwater Area teachers
• Expanded support for student well-being and mental health

To support these opportunities, the team is proposing to adopt a modified 7x2 schedule beginning in the fall of 2026. The new schedule would allow students to take more classes each year, explore new Pathways programs, and earn valuable credentials — including an Associate of Arts degree and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification.

Plans also include a 9th-grade seminar to help students build study skills and explore career and college options, as well as dedicated time during the school day for academic and peer support.

What’s Next?

With these recommendations, there’s still important work ahead. The School Board will review and adopt new graduation requirements, consider proposals for new courses, and evaluate the costs associated with these changes — including the need for additional certified teaching staff — at an upcoming meeting.

Please watch for more updates in future communications.

If you'd like more information you can watch the complete October 7, 2025 board meeting via YouTube here.

What is a Modified 7x2 Schedule?

Here’s an example of what the proposed schedule could look like in a typical five-day week: