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Our District

Welcome to Dassel-Cokato ISD 466

"Committed to Educational Excellence"

The Dassel-Cokato School District is a rural school district in central Minnesota. It serves the steadily growing communities of Dassel and Cokato which have a combined population of approximately 4,200 residents. The entire school district, which includes many rural and lake homes, has a total population of 10,100 residents.

We are committed to the idea of life-long learning as evidenced by our programs serving infants through senior citizens. We provide opportunities for parent/community involvement in curriculum development, extra-curricular activities and volunteer programs in the schools. Extensive extra and co-curricular activities are offered and have generated accomplishments such as recent state championships in football, wrestling, drumline, track, and speech.

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The district consists of four well-maintained school facilities. Each community hosts a K-4 elementary school, and a larger complex is located halfway between Dassel and Cokato on highway twelve which includes a pre-school, a community education center, a 5-8 middle school, and a 9-12 high school.  The Area Learning Center is located in Cokato and host both day and evening classes. Total school enrollment is approximately 2100 students K-12. District employees number about 400 with 150 of those being teachers.

Dassel-Cokato student test scores are well above national averages. D-C schools have North Central Accreditation, Dassel Elementary and DCHS are recognized as "National Schools of Excellence" and Cokato Elementary is recognized as a "State School of Excellence." Lower elementary class sizes average 20 students and the K-12 individualized gifted program is recognized as a state model. D-C schools offer FOCUS program and Area Learning Center for at-risk students, district reading specialists and coordinate the K-12 curriculum with sequential learning objectives.  The district offers outstanding media and technology capabilities including computers in every classroom, mobile carts of computers and full computer labs in the ALC and Elementary buildings as well as 1:1 student/computer ratio for grades 5-12.

The Dassel-Cokato Community

Explore Dassel-Cokato

Dassel-Cokato has a small town, friendly atmosphere but is located near big city opportunities through its close proximity to Minneapolis/ Saint Paul, St. Cloud, and Hutchinson. An abundance of lakes in the area offer excellent fishing and recreational opportunities. There are ten county and municipal parks within the school district, which provide a wide range of services.

Dassel and Cokato both have an aggressive growth attitude toward small business and light industry development. Athletic organizations, community education, and private enterprises provide year-round recreational activities. Public libraries affiliated with regional systems are located in both Dassel and Cokato. Over 20 churches in the district care for the spiritual needs of the community.


What's special about the Dassel-Cokato community?

The communities of Dassel and Cokato have a strong history of supporting education. They have passed and renewed operating referendums from 1985 to the present that has ensured small class sizes, educational opportunities, and technology innovation. The middle school was added on to the high school complex in 1991 with an addition built in 1998. Cokato Elementary was remodeled in 1993. The Performing Arts Center, additional classrooms and extra-curricular facilities were built in 2005.