Record COVID-19 Cases Reported in Minn. Schools, 13 NW Metro Schools List Outbreaks

Cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota schools reached record levels for a weekly period, according to new data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health.

The number of infections in pre-K-12 school buildings topped 2,000 cases for the week ending Sept. 18, higher than the surge in cases last fall – a time when the COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t available for people 12 and older.

Minnesota’s seven-day average case positivity rate stands at 6.7 percent, down from 7.1 percent, the high thus far of the current fourth wave of cases. 

Schools with 5+ Cases

At least 13 schools in the CCX News viewing area, the Twin Cities northwest suburbs, report five or more cases of COVID-19 during a two-week period. That’s up from eight schools last week. While transmission of the virus could have happened anywhere, the cases involve students or staff who were in a school building while infectious.

Schools with five or more cases include:

• Armstrong High School
• Brooklyn Center Elementary
• Champlin Park High School
• Cooper High School
• Fernbrook Elementary, Maple Grove
• Jackson Middle, Champlin
• Maple Grove Middle School
• Maple Grove High School
• Maranatha Christian, Brooklyn Park
• Parnassus Preparatory, Maple Grove
• Providence Academy, Plymouth
• Wayzata High School
• Weaver Lake Elementary, Maple Grove

Schools are removed from the state list after they have had no infections for four weeks.

Armstrong High School among schools added to list.

Local Cities See Rise in Case Rates

Hennepin County’s COVID-19 dashboard shows a rise in case rates. The county case rate is 37.6 cases per 10,000 residents over a two-week period ending Sept. 20. A week prior, the county case rate was 33.9 cases per 10,000 residents.

With the exception of the city of Bloomington, case rates were the highest in the northwest suburbs of Hennepin County.

• Rogers: 61.0 cases per 10,000
• Bloomington: 45.6
• Brooklyn Park: 45.2
• Brooklyn Center: 44.3
• Champlin: 44.1
• Crystal: 42.7
• New Hope: 42.5
• Maple Grove: 40.7
• Robbinsdale: 38.0
• Hennepin County: 37.6

Brooklyn Center | Brooklyn Park | Champlin | Crystal | Golden Valley | Maple Grove | New Hope | Osseo | Plymouth | Robbinsdale | Rogers | Twin Cities | Wayzata