Independent School District #203 is a district composed of the communities of Brownsdale, Hayfield, Oslo, Sargeant, and Waltham. Its boundaries span an area of 200 square miles from Rochester in the northeast and to Austin in the southwest. The school system involves approximately 790 students and 60 teachers. Students in the Hayfield Community Schools are taught in a "person-centered" environment. The school's philosophy stresses the importance of the student's academic, social and emotional development with the emphasis on the student's need to feel successful and important. The faculty and staff are expected to be sensitive to needs and problems and to be understanding. Instruction is on a continuous-progress basis and is designed to promote independence on the part of the student as he/she progresses from kindergarten through grade 12.