The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Math. The lowest is 10% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Metro Deaf School
Metro Deaf School is a single-school district in Ramsey County that serves Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing students from preschool through twelfth grade. It is a specialized public school district, not a typical neighborhood district with multiple buildings. In fall 2022 it expanded downward, adding a birth-to-age-3 program so that families of infants and toddlers can access early intervention services within the same institution. The school has seen substantial enrollment growth in recent years, doubling its student body over a span of time.
The student body is small. Racially and ethnically, the group is diverse: White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, Hispanic students, Asian students, and a small number of multiracial and American Indian students. Economic disadvantage data and English learner counts were not available, though this is a school where language and communication are central to the mission.
State testing results are largely suppressed because the number of students tested in each grade is very small. This is a direct consequence of the school’s specialized population and size; the state withholds results when the group is too small to protect privacy. The only reported results at the grade level come from eighth grade, where proficiency rates in math and reading were low. In math, a modest share of tested students scored proficient; in reading, the share was lower still. For all other grades, the state did not report rates. Participation rates varied, with some grades below the standard. A parent would want to discuss academic progress and assessment practices directly with the school, as the available state data is too limited to draw a broad picture of achievement.
Among Ramsey County’s districts, Metro Deaf School sits in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. This comparison is difficult to interpret because the district’s mission and student population are unlike any other in the county. Chronic absenteeism places below the midpoint among the county’s districts, meaning the rate is relatively high, though not the highest in the area. Per-pupil current spending is at the upper range of county districts, a reflection of the intensive services, low student-to-staff ratios, and specialized facilities required to serve this population.
The school offers a full PK-12 pathway in a setting where communication and instruction are designed for students who are Deaf, DeafBlind, or Hard of Hearing. For families seeking this kind of environment, Metro Deaf School provides a dedicated program from infancy through high school graduation. The growth in enrollment and the addition of the birth-to-3 program signal a school that is actively expanding to meet demand. The small size means individualized attention, but also means that comparative metrics like test scores and attendance cannot be easily measured against typical district benchmarks. A family considering this school would want to visit, talk with staff about academic expectations and support for each student’s communication needs, and ask about the high school graduation rate, which was not available in the data we reviewed. For those outside the intended population, this district is not a typical residential assignment; it serves a specific group by mission and by law.
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