Expansion

A Permanent Home

The Expansion Task Force has been searching the south metro looking for a site that would accommodate our vision and expand with us, but the few sites that were available were either beyond our budget, or limited our ability to fulfill our vision. While we love our current location in Farmington, it is not able to support growth for the upper grades without major compromises to our vision and our ability to make classical education available to as many families as possible.

This is why we are thrilled to share that the Expansion Task Force has found an ideal building and property. The building is located at 3560 Delta Dental Drive, in Eagan. It is a 66,000 square foot three-story former office building that sits on 16 acres of land. Click here for a video that provides an excellent view of the property.

We are thrilled about this for several reasons. First, it is large enough to accommodate everything needed for our middle and high school grades. The layout and structure allow for incredible flexibility and affordability in renovation. The land itself provides beautiful views and a campus climate that perfectly aligns with our vision to connect students to the wonder of nature. Most importantly, the acquisition of this site removes the specter of uncertainty about where and how our upper grades will be developed, or what limitations we might otherwise be forced to accept. This facility offers a clear path toward the complete classical K-12 academy that we envisioned over five years ago.

This site is a blessing that will help secure the future of our school and benefit countless children. While we are enthusiastic about this opportunity, we recognize that some of our families may have concerns about the location of this facility and potential transportation challenges it may present. We also know that current families have enrolled with Great Oaks based on our existing location in Farmington. In light of this, we are committed to maintaining the Farmington Campus for the foreseeable future as a K-5 school that will feed into the upper grades at the Eagan location. We are also in the process of planning ways to provide bus transportation from Farmington to the new campus in Eagan for our upper grade levels. As enrollment grows, we will look to provide bussing directly to the middle/high school from the surrounding communities, including Farmington and Lakeville. Again, we want to state that the Farmington Campus will remain open serving K-5 for the foreseeable future.

Next Steps

As we continue the process of acquiring this property, there are a few important items to know:

1. The Great Oaks Board will be reviewing and approving a purchase agreement in the next few weeks.
2. Our purchase of the property will be contingent on gaining approval from the City of Eagan for a Planned Development Amendment. We have started communicating with City staff and will be proceeding with the amendment process this fall.
3. Pending approval from Eagan, we will fund the purchase and subsequent renovation through financing.
4. If successful with the financing and purchase, we will proceed with designing the renovation that will turn this building into our new school, with the goal of having it ready for the 2025-26 academic year.

How can you support Great Oaks’ Expansion?

1. Attend the Information Session on September 19th for current families. By this time, we will be further along in the process and will know more details to best address questions families may have.
2. Join a tour of the new campus. Sign up here.
3. Expansion questions can be shared directly with the Expansion Task Force by emailing: expansion@greatoaksacademymn.com.
4. Visit our website for updates.
5. Donate