8334 Hemlock Ln N
Maple Grove, MN 55369

We are literally moving, so none of our other kids have to go to this school. The only reason to go to Osseo is if you want to do the medical program, otherwise the school is really hit or miss. There are fights, drugs in the bathroom, lots of kids skipping, lots of bullying and to my surprise some completely incompetent teachers. I don't take that term lightly, but our eldest has had 2 teachers who didn't know the subject they were teaching. I'm not even sure how they got their degrees, since one had a middle school reading level capability and another relied entirely on AI to create assignments and do communications. We also had issues with adult teachers harassing children with bullying behavior that would have traditionally gotten a child suspended, but it was ok for a grown adult to do. On the flip side, there are some awesome teachers, the problem really is the negatives outweigh the positives because they go unchecked. If you live where you are assigned Osseo you can transfer your kid via the open enrollment or magnet lottery to another school. I'd highly recommend it. If your kid is younger, I'd suggest you skip Osseo and just enroll in Parnassus Prep. We regret not doing that. If your kid just wants to slack, get in fights and do drugs in the bathroom though, this is a solid fit. As for special ed, my kids are not special ed, but it seems like those kids get lots of support.

Rice Lake Elementary used to be a very good school that I felt good about sending my children to. The two rounds of previous principals and the interim principal saw the school through a number of changes and there were the normal growing pains, but it was still a good school. Hiring the new/current principal after covid was a huge detriment to this school and I would no longer send my children there. I would even send my child to another district before sending my child to this school now under the current leadership (or lack thereof). It speaks volumes that almost all of the experienced and long-standing teachers that helped to make Rice Lake the strong school it was, left within a year of the new/current principal. While I have nothing against the principal personally, after many conversations with staff and other parents, she seems severely lacking in leadership and management skills. The principal has a very passive-aggressive style with staff and parents alike and it is very hard to get her to confront and address most problems. She seems to run the school like a click and if you get on her 'good side' and 'butter her up', you are in the in-crowd, but if you have an issue or concern that needs addressing, you are likely to be ignored. She seems to hide from problems - unwilling to meet with people, including staff, to address things. She gives the appearance of involvement, but she hides from problems. It is truly shocking just how avoidant this principal is and how much she brushes things aside and hides under a rug. My greatest complaint with what her lack of good leadership has done to the school is the safety concerns that have developed. Because of unwillingness to confront people and deal with problems, major student safety issues have developed and bullies and poorly behaved students now dominate the school. There are too many parent reports of assault to their students by 'bullies' that will not be addressed, let alone prevented. Under this principal, students no longer feel physically safe, which makes for a difficult learning environment. There is little to no accountability for disrespectful, let alone, unsafe behavior. Since the new/current principal has also caused most of the experienced teachers to leave, much of the staff is very 'green' and don't have experienced mentors for guidance. It is truly a sad situation what this school has become.

I was really nervous having my child start school here given the negative reviews, but we have been pleasantly surprised with how happy we have been here. We really like the principal and think he is doing great things. Leadership is so important to a good school and they picked a good principal to lead this school. It is a middle school, so there are problems, but my child has felt safe and happy here. We have been pleased with the teachers, too. There is only one tech ed teacher that doesn't seem invested; all the other teachers have been good. The no phones rule is a great thing that I strongly support. I hope this school keeps going strong and improving as it seems to have been doing over the past years under Principal Smith.