The top reported proficiency rate is 11% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on St. Paul City School
St. Paul City School is a small charter district in Ramsey County serving pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It operates three schools: a primary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district’s enrollment is modest for a full PK-12 system, and the student body is highly diverse. Roughly half of students are Hispanic, a quarter are Black, and most of the remainder are Asian; very few students are White, and the share of students identifying as two or more races is small but present. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education identification, and English learner status were not available in the source materials, so a fuller picture of the district’s economic and support needs is not possible from this information alone.
On state assessments, proficiency rates are low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above in grades three through eight ranges from a modest single-digit percentage to just above that. Reading proficiency is similarly thin, with the highest rate seen in fifth grade at a still-low level, and most other grades falling in the single digits or low teens. Science results are also very low, including no students reaching proficiency in eighth grade. These figures place the district’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile among Ramsey County’s districts. A parent considering this district should be aware that academic attainment, as measured by state tests, is well below typical levels in the county.
Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern. The district’s rate of chronic absenteeism sits in the bottom quartile among the county’s districts, meaning a large share of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent. This pattern often correlates with academic challenges and may reflect broader family or community circumstances. Per-pupil current spending, by contrast, falls in the upper range among Ramsey County’s districts, indicating that the district invests relatively heavily per student.
A four-year graduation rate was not reported in the available data; this could be because the high school is very small, particularly in twelfth grade, or because the data were not collected. Without it, there is no clear measure of how successfully the district moves students through to a diploma.
The district brief, based on publicly reported information, found no specific recent changes that would be directly relevant for parents, such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or leadership transitions. The district appears to operate steadily.
This is a setting defined by deep academic challenges and high absenteeism, paired with relatively high spending. Families considering St. Paul City School would likely want to visit the individual schools, ask about interventions for struggling students, understand the supports available for English learners and students with disabilities, and learn what career or college pathways exist at the high school level. The district’s small size and diverse student body may appeal to families who want a close-knit, urban charter environment, but the test results and absenteeism rates point to a system under considerable strain.
See more original research from School Decision →