Last Updated June 27, 2025
On December 9, 2024, the School Board of ISD #2687 approved the elementary grade level buildings transition effective for the 2026-2027 school year. The decision was made to reorganize Winsted and Humphrey Elementary schools to become “grade level buildings” in order to keep class sizes as small and equitable as possible.
This page is intended to provide information to parents and the community about the shift. A transition team has been established in order to plan for the transition and make sure we start the 2026-27 school year off as successfully as we can.
As plans develop, we will update this webpage with the pertinent details. Click on the sections below to find out more information.
The district will be better able to respond to changes in enrollment.
- Students will have a more equitable experience as they progress through our district
- Creates larger grade-level teams for teachers and enhances collaboration among our staff
- The district will be able to keep class sizes as low as possible, while balancing the budget
- Allows a school building to focus on the unique needs of a smaller grade band of students
- The district will be able to pool resources/services to meet the needs of an entire grade-level (interventions, special education, english-language learners, etc.)
- Allows the district to expand child care into additional sites for community members
- Children will have the opportunity to attend school with students from across the district from the start. We believe this will create more opportunities for students to connect socially and make the transition to middle school easier and less stressful for students and families.
The Transition Team is a group of staff members representing a cross-section of our elementaries. This team meets at least monthly to gather information, share perspectives, seek input from beyond the Team and make recommendations for the transition. The Team productively and collaboratively considers what is best for students when making its recommendations.
Shifting to grade-level school buildings will allow the district to “right size” the number of sections for each grade based on the total number of students, which will ensure that class sizes will be similar in each grade’s classrooms. Cost savings will occur as the total number of staff needed for grade sections adjusts accordingly. There is also opportunity for additional revenue for the district by adding Laker Care, etc. Overall, we believe that this change will help the district be more efficient and effective at the elementary school level.
No. Our elementary buildings were built and renovated to accommodate elementary students from preschool to grade six.
Questions can be submitted to the Superintendent: dedwards@hlww.k12.mn.us
Starting the 2026-2027 school year, grades K – 2 will be assigned to Humphrey Elementary and grades 3 – 4 will be assigned to Winsted Elementary. This change allows the district to run more efficiently. In addition, students are able to build strong peer connections early in their school career. Finally, teachers will be able to more effectively collaborate and improve learning outcomes for all students.
