“Trinity School was born out of a lack of satisfaction with the status quo. We thought that students needed first and foremost to know how to read and write and do mathematics. They needed to write logically and coherently, to know the grammar of their language, to be conversant with the history of their culture, and with the thoughts and creations of the great men and women of the past. They needed to know how to think and to grow in their desire to learn. Years ago this would have been the stuff of ordinary education. Today it is the stuff of extraordinary education, and that’s what Trinity School is all about.”
Dr. Kerry Koller, President Emeritus and Co-Founder of Trinity Schools
In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education published their landmark report, “A Nation At Risk.” The report exposed a crisis of education in our country that threatened to erode national discourse, undermine our standing in the global community and, most importantly, stunt the intellectual formation of our children. Too many students were failing to thrive in our schools, too many graduates were leaving unprepared for college or careers and too many young people lacked crucial intellectual skills. In 2008, on the 25th anniversary of the report, the Strong American Schools organization found that almost none of the commission’s findings had been addressed or dealt with. If anything, this situation has gotten worse in the decades since.
In 1981, a similar discontent with the educational status quo in the United States led the People of Praise Christian community to open Trinity School at Greenlawn in South Bend, IN. Trinity School has since opened two additional schools: Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan, MN (1987), and Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, VA (1998).
Timeline
1981 The first Trinity School opens in South Bend, IN.
1987 Trinity School at River Ridge opens its doors in downtown Minneapolis, MN, using space in Gethsemane Episcopal Church.
1991 Trinity School relocates to its second campus just off of E. Old Shakopee road at 88th street in Bloomington.
1996 Trinity School at River Ridge is named a National Blue Ribbon School for excellence in education.
1999 The
1999 Swimmer Katie Wind becomes Trinity School’s first individual state champion, winning titles and breaking records in the 200m and 500m freestyle.
2003 Trinity School at River Ridge is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS).
2008 Trinity School at River Ridge moves to its current location and into a brand-new building in Eagan just off of 494 and Delaware Avenue.
2009 Trinity School at River Ridge receives its second National Blue Ribbon School award.
2014 The Girls’ Cross Country team wins the school’s first team State Championship.
2016 Trinity School adds 6th Grade.
2019 Trinity School at River Ridge receives its third National Blue Ribbon School award, making it the only private high school in Minnesota to win the award three times.
