Maple Grove's Magnet School

Weaver Lake Elementary shows why local magnet schools are a hot draw.

From the issue: September 2009

Photo: Marshall Franklin Long

Jenna Unden, Ian McNicholes and Johanna Unden use a ProScope to take a closer look at some worms.

In many ways, the building off Weaver Lake Road in Maple Grove resembles a typical public grade school. The gymnasium hosts physical education class, the media center is stocked with kid-friendly books, and the jungle gym outside harnesses a type of organized chaos known as recess. But a deeper look reveals an environment of anomaly. The science lab, math and engineering lab, and outdoor classrooms tucked into the woods are just a few give-aways: This is no ordinary elementary school.

Weaver Lake Elementary: A Science, Math and Technology School is a magnet school serving more than 700 students in grades kindergarten through six, from five school districts in the Minneapolis area’s northwest suburbs. The magnet program, which originally was hosted by now-closed Edgewood Elementary in Brooklyn Park, moved to its Maple Grove location in 2008.