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 1863. They are public residential schools for Minnesota children with special needs, serving students from birth to age 21. They are operated by the state. 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.