Riverway Learning Community is a Minnesota Charter Public School and has several distinguishing characteristics.

PreK-12th Grade: We are one of a handful of PreK-12 public schools in the region and the only one in the Winona area.

Small Size: With a maximum capacity of 120 students, Riverway excels in personalized education.

1:5 Staff-to-Student Ratio: With a teaching staff of 20 (Learning Leaders and Assistants), and a current student population of 100, Rivereway's staff-to-student ratio is as low as they come for a public school (and many private schools as well).

In-House Food Service: While many schools have internal food service, few have "cooked from scratch" items on the menu. Riverway's nutrition leader prepares many of the items served from scratch using locally sourced products and organic items when economically feasible.

Transportation Service: Riverway has prioritized transportation so that we can manage our own calendar. This means we can start and end the school year and the school day when we choose; it means we can run afterschool programs as we see fit; and it means we can arrange for field according to our needs.

Community as Classroom: Riverway embraces the idea that learning is not confined to the walls of a classroom...or even of a school. On the contrary, we see the community as the students greatest teacher. As such, Riverway students take a lot of field trips to get out into the community for learning experiences that are unavailable in the school.

Inclusive Special Education: Riverway provides Special Education Services in a Federal Setting One. This means that services are primarily provided in the classroom proper instead of a resource room. While this structure prevents students from being singled out, it also means that some students, particularly those with significant behavioral challenges, don't benefit as they would in a different setting.

School Meetings: Riverway's small size allows us to conduct school wide meeting on a regular basis. All students and staff meet weekly at a Monday Morning Meeting.

Environmental Education: Riverway has always been committed to helping students develop a sense of environmental awareness, and with the Audubon Center of the North Woods as our authorizer that commitment is

Tuesday Afterschool Activities: As a small school, we do not support traditional afterschool programs but rather offer a wide range of alternative activities including canoeing; hiking; biking; Mind, Body, Spirt; Art; Wall Ball; Carpet Bowling; Role Playing Games; and Do-It-Yourself.

Thursday Afterschool Academic Support: Each week, students may stay after school on Thursday in order to receive additional support from the staff or one another. Students may not have completed their daily work, or their homework, or they may have missed a day, or they may just want/need additional time or help to complete an assignment. All staff are on deck ready to help during this support time.