Minnesota's first public school system was authorized in 1849, but significant growth in enrollment did not occur until after the Civil War. Today, Minnesota has one of the best-supported systems of public education in the US. In 2000, 87.9% of Minnesotans age 25 or older were high school graduates; 27.4% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.
The total enrollment for fall 1999 in Minnesota's public schools stood at 854,034. Of these, 580,363 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 273,671 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 18% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 2001. Total enrollment was estimated at 847,000 in fall 2000 but is expected to drop to 840,000 by fall 2005. In 1999/2000, state expenditures per pupil totaled $7,326. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $7,159,543. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001 was 92,795.
As of fall 2000, there were 269,258 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In the same year Minnesota had 113 degree-granting institutions. The state's public postsecondary education system is overseen by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) and includes three areas: the state university system—with campuses at Bemidji, Mankato, Marshall, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Moorhead, St. Cloud, and Winona; the community college system, consisting of 18 two-year colleges and 3 centers; and a statewide network of 33 area vocational-technical institutes. The University of Minnesota (founded as an academy in 1851) has campuses in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, and Crookston. The state's oldest private college, Hamline University in St. Paul, was founded in 1854 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. There are more than 20 private colleges, many of them with ties to Lutheran or Roman Catholic religious authorities. Carleton College, at Northfield, is a notable independent institution. In 1997, minority students comprised 9.2% of total postsecondary enrollment.
Minnesota has an extensive program of student grants, work-study arrangements, and loan programs, in addition to reciprocal tuition arrangements with Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota.