The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD) is a public residential school serving deaf children in Minnesota, United States. It is one of two Minnesota State Academies in Faribault and operated by the state for particular student populations. History The Minnesota School for the Deaf and Dumb was established in 1863 with eight students enrolled. A department for the education of the blind was added in 1866. The name was changed to the Minnesota School for the Deaf in 1902. In 1986, the institution's name became the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD). Two buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, both designed by state architect Clarence H. Johnston, Sr.: the Administration Building/Girls' Dormitory, in a Georgian Revival style, and Noyes Hall, in a Classical Revival style. Frenchette Hall, the boys dormitory built in 1957, was demolished in 2015 and replaced in 2018 with Wilkins Hall, named after the first African American to graduate from the school, Blanche Wilkins Williams. In 1992 Metro Deaf School (MDS), a charter school for the deaf in St. Paul, opened as many area parents wanted a closer option. This had the possibility of reducing the MSAD student body and/or making the student enrollment primarily from areas other than the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Student body Circa 1992, prior to the opening of MDS, about 50% of the students came from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. In 1992 the expected enrollment for fall 1992 was around 190. In 2002 most deaf high school students in the Minneapolis area either attended MSAD or attended local high schools with deaf interpreters. This was prior to the opening of Minnesota North Star Academy, which later merged into MDS. Academics MSAD is a bilingual school where the students are taught through American Sign Language and use English in writing and reading. It offers programs ranging from infants to high school specialized for deaf children. Campus Preschool and elementary students are in Quinn Hall. Middle school and high school students are in Smith Hall. Residency MSAD is a residential school. It has two dormitories where students reside throughout the week. Students typically arrive on Sunday evenings and depart on Friday afternoons. Transportation is provided by the students' respective school districts. Parents can choose to pick up and drop off their child(ren) at the campus. Dormitories are for students who live more than 20 miles from the