Explore SES
Personal and professional growth, unlike any other high school, through real-life immersion in the study of environmental topics and issues for grades 11 and 12.
The School of Environmental Studies (SES) is a public environmental magnet school for high school juniors and seniors. Opened in 1995 as a unique partnership between District 196, the City of Apple Valley, and the State of Minnesota (Minnesota Zoo), SES is a response to the well-documented need to create smaller, more effective learning communities providing authentic learning experiences.
SES immerses its students in the study of environmental topics and issues working with and often alongside professionals in the field. Students graduate from SES knowing how to learn as well as what to learn and are well prepared for a lifetime of participation and education.
What a typical school day at SES looks like...
Students at this high school spend half their day in an environmental-themed, interdisciplinary class we call House. Through this course, they earn their high school Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Environmental Science credits.
Learn more about our House courses
The other half of their day is filled with a variety of other courses, depending on their needs and interests (such as Math, Lab Science, Art, Career Development courses, and other unique electives).
Learn more about our other courses
Photo: Students on an intensive
theme class in the Great Smoky Moutains
Intensive week-long theme classes...
At the end of each trimester, we pause all our courses and students have an opportunity to take one class, which lasts all day, for seven school days. We call these unique learning opportunities Intensive Theme classes. This is also when some students choose to travel.
Learn more about our Intensive Theme Classes
PHOTO: Students on An intensive Theme class in Australia
What students are saying about their experience at SES...
We know changing schools is a big decision for students and families, but the return on investment can be huge!
What some recent graduates had to say about their experiences at SES
Learning in Action
What does some of the learning look like?
PHOTO: Students on a 10-day intensive theme class on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota
Photo: Students on a 10-day Intensive Theme Class in Scotland
Photo: Students on a 10-day intensive theme class in the Galapagos Islands
This is easily the best school I've ever been to. It feels like the teachers and the system in general are working with me for once, instead of against me, which is an amazing feeling.
Hazel, Class of 2026
I just finished my internship with the city and I was asked to come back next summer. I got more experience with fisheries, stormwater, and invasive species management, and expanded my ArcGIS skills. I definitely feel like I got ahead of the game because of SES.
Joaquin, SES graduate
I would have never become the editor of my college paper if it wasn't for SES.
Daniel, SES graduate
SES gave me the tools to be successful in college through unique educational experiences and challenging curriculum.
lisa, SES graduate
It's a school that is based on earth's environments that quietly educates its students more about the human environment and what that means to grow as a person on this planet.Isaac, SES graduate
SES provided an immersive learning experience where I found a new passion for learning through an environment of mutual respect, exploration and engagement across teachers, staff and students.trevor, SES graduate