In addition to being well connected to technology, Winona is also well connected geographically.

• Air travel is available via Winona/La Crosse Regional Airport (25 miles from downtown Winona), Max Conrad Field (8 miles from downtown Winona), and Rochester International Airport (55 miles from downtown Winona).
• Amtrack and Pacific Northwest provide passenger service; CP Rail and DM&E offer freight transportation.
• Winona is a major hub for Mississippi River barge fleeting transport and docking services.
• Easy ground access is available via major US Highways 14 and 61, Interstate Highway 90, MN Highway 43, and WI Highway 35.

Winona places a high emphasis on education within the community, and there are many great education options for both preliminary and secondary education.

Winona has multiple Pre-K through high school programs, both public and private.  Winona is also a bustling college town home to three higher education institutions: Winona State University, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, and Minnesota State College Southeast Technical.   When school is in session, approximately 8,500 students call Winona home.

Pre-K through 12th Grade

Public: 

• Winona Area Public Schools - District 861
  At Winona Area Public Schools, you can expect excellence, grounded in compassion, to meet the needs of all learners. From our focus on achievement and excellence in all we do, innovations geared toward the future, and making each student feel safe and valued, great things happen here.  Winona Area Public Schools includes early childhood, three elementary schools, middle and high schools, and the Area Learning Center.

Private and Parochial:

• Main Square Montessori
  Montessori education builds a child’s capability to become a fulfilled and productive adult able to contribute to the world—at home, at work, and in their community.   Main Square Montessori offers 9-month (academic year) or 12 month (full year) enrollment in both the Toddler Community (15 to 33 months) and the Children’s House (33 months to 6 years).  MSM is an all-day program, and enrolled students are expected to attend full time (at least six hours per day), 5 days a week.
• St. Martins Lutheran School
  St. Martin’s Lutheran School is a K-8 school dedicated to helping children develop a lifelong relationship with Jesus through all areas of the curriculum.  St. Martin’s is dedicated to teaching excellence and quality education at an affordable price by offering a student-teacher ratio of 11:1, with the Church paying over half of every student’s tuition.
• St. Matthews
  St. Matthew’s is a PreK – 8 private school with dedicated, experienced faculty members who work in cooperation with parents to create a safe, caring environment in which all students develop skills that prepare them for continued spiritual, academic, and physical growth.
• Hope Lutheran High School
  Hope LHS was founded in 2003 with 7 students. The school has grown to serve nearly 50 students grades 9-12 and their families.  Hope offers a solid education in a Christ centered environment.
• Cotter Schools (Elementary, Junior High, and High School)
  Cotter Schools, through their fully-unified early childhood through 12th grade learning experience advances a tradition of Catholic education in Winona that began more than 110 years ago.  Cotter Schools proudly serving scholars age 16 months through grade 12 across four campuses.  

Charter:

• Bluffview Montessori
  Bluffview Montessori School is a public, tuition-free K-8 charter school that uses the principles of Montessori education to help each child reach their full potential.  The school is also home to a tuition-based Montessori preschool program for children 33 months through six years.
• Ridgeway Community School
  Ridgeway Community School is a growing and academically challenging K-5 charter school full of inquisitive learners practicing healthy living habits with an emphasis on community and wellness that leaves a positive lasting impact.
• Riverway Learning Community
  Riverway Learning Community is a PreK-12th Grade public charter school that excels in personalized education. Riverway Learning Community is committed to the foundation of a more hopeful and enlightened future by offering unique programming that nurtures the growth of mind, body, and spirit, both as individuals and as members
  of the larger community.
• Rollingstone Community School
  Rollingstone Community School is a STEAM-infused, Place-Based and Teacher-Empowered School.  With a community-centered place-based philosophy, our RCS Campus is the perfect place to engage students in an ideal learning environment utilizing our outdoor classroom/amphitheater, pond & stream, student-built nature trails, prairie grassland, sports fields, and school garden. 

Higher Education

Superb Educational Resources

Winona has become known over the years for its fine educational institutions which continue to serve the needs of the business sectors throughout the greater Winona area.

1. Easily accessible education and training opportunities are available through two universities and one college
2. Testing and research facilities are located within the universities and college
3. University and college resources that help further local technology interests
4. An available non-traditional workforce is provided by students of all ages

Winona State University

Founded in 1858, Winona State University is the oldest member of the Minnesota State System of colleges and universities.  Today, Winona State University  serves students through their Winona and Rochester Campuses and offers 80 undergraduate programs across five colleges: Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Nursing & Health Sciences, and Science & Engineering.  The university also has a broad range of major, minor, and pre-professional programs, as well as basic skills providing research-rich learning environments.

 View WSU 2020-21 Fast Facts

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Saint Mary's University is a private Catholic university founded in 1912 with an undergraduate residential college in Winona, Minnesota; graduate and professional programs in Winona, the Twin Cities, and Rochester.

Saint Mary's University offers a wide range of degrees.  The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees for both traditional and non-traditional students.  In addition to the degrees, Saint Mary's also offers teaching licensures, certifications, and pre-professional programs. Both undergraduate and graduate programs offer online learning. 

View Saint Mary’s Fast Facts 

Minnesota State College Southeast Technical (MSC Southeast)

MN State College Southeast Technical offers over eighty academic programs. Minnesota State College Southeast Technical offers programs in Industrial Technology, Electronics Technology, and numerous other technical programs. The current enrollment is 2,600.

MSC Southeast’s campuses are located in the historic river towns of in Red Wing and Winona, set sixty miles apart along the Mississippi River. The two campuses have distinctive characteristics but are one college in structure, policies, procedures, and mission. Both campuses offer small class sizes, state-of-the-art facilities, and an environment that is friendly and supportive. MSC Southeast offers one hundred different majors and more than thirty different majors 100% online.

View MSC Southeast’s Quick Facts

Winona is a healthy and safe place for families and has great access to healthcare facilities providing a wide range of medical care.

Winona Health

Winona Health is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare system that is nationally recognized for being technologically advanced in delivering personalized, high-quality care.  Winona Health has approximately 1,100 employees including ninety physicians and associate providers, plus four hundred volunteers dedicated to providing healthcare services.  Winona Health provides long-term care, urgent care, emergency care, and many other services.

Gundersen Lutheran Health Care System—Winona Campus

Headquarter in La Crosse, WI Gundersen Lutheran Health Care System opened their 90,000 square foot Winona Campus in 2020.  The Winona Campus includes over one hundred employees and provides quality healthcare by providing urgent care services, dental specialties, an eye clinic, and sport medicine. 

Other Nearby Services

• Mayo Clinic (Rochester): The world renowned healthcare facility is within 45 miles of Winona.
• Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System (LaCrosse, WI): Offers healthcare services within 35 miles of Winona.

Recreation in Winona

For those looking for outdoor adventure, the water and bluffs are home to miles of hiking, biking, canoeing, boating, ice climbing walls, and fishing.  Outdoor enthusiasts recognize Winona as home to world class outfitting manufacturers including, We-no-nah Canoe, Current Design Kayaks, Enlightened Equipment, Merrimack Canoe Company, and Sanborn Canoe Co.

Visit Winona

City of Winona Parks & Recreation

Outdoor Recreation Alliance Winona