The Minnesota State Academies are two separate schools, the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, both established by the legislature in 1858. The Academy for the Deaf opened doors in 1863 and the Academy for the Blind opened doors in 1866. They are public residential option schools for Minnesota children with hearing loss and vision loss, serving students from birth to age 21. They are operated by the state.
The schools are located about a mile apart in Faribault, on bluffs above the Cannon River. Two special state highways connect the campuses to Minnesota State Highway 60 and downtown Faribault: 299 goes north to the Academy for the Deaf; 298 goes south to the Academy for the Blind.
Blind Department Building and Dow Hall at the State Academy for the Blind are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as are the Administration Building/Girls' Dormitory and Noyes Hall at the State Academy for the Deaf.