The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Twin Cities Academy
Twin Cities Academy is a single-school charter district in Ramsey County, Minnesota, serving students from sixth through twelfth grade under one roof. Because the district is also the school, the experience a family would get is the experience of that one building. There was no locale brief available to describe the immediate neighborhood, so the context here comes entirely from the district's operational and academic data.
The student body is diverse and notably lacking a single majority racial or ethnic group. Asian, Black, Hispanic, and white students each make up a meaningful share of enrollment, with the largest single group being Hispanic students. A smaller but still present share of students identify as two or more races. The data did not include counts for students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students served under an Individualized Education Program, or English learners, so it is not possible to describe the economic or special-education profile of the population from the available record. Families looking into the school may want to ask the school directly about these figures.
On state assessments, students in grades six through eight take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments in math, English language arts, and science. Across the tested grades, the share of students scoring at or above the proficient level in math was in the single digits in grade six and rose only modestly by grade eight. In English language arts, proficiency was higher than in math in every tested grade, with about a quarter of students in grades six and seven reaching the proficient or above threshold and about a third doing so in grade eight. Science results for grade eight were very low, with a small share of students reaching proficiency. When placed against the full range of Ramsey County's districts, Twin Cities Academy's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades fell below the midpoint of the county.
The graduation rate was not available in the data, even though the school serves grades nine through twelve. That is a meaningful gap for any family considering this district for high school. Chronic absenteeism, however, is reported, and it is elevated. The district's rate falls below the midpoint among Ramsey County's districts in terms of the lower-better measure, meaning the problem is more pronounced here than in many neighboring districts.
Per-pupil current spending sits in the middle range among the county's districts, but in the upper half of that range, which suggests the district is funding its operations at a level that is neither lean nor exceptionally high for the area. The district brief turned up no major parent-relevant changes from recent years, so there is no recent disruption or reform to factor in.
This is a district that serves a modest-sized student population across the middle and high school years in a single charter school setting. The academic performance on state tests is an area where the numbers are clearly below typical benchmarks in the county, and the chronic absenteeism rate is a concern that warrants a direct conversation with the school. Families considering Twin Cities Academy will want to ask about high school outcomes, supports for students who are not yet at grade level, and how the school addresses attendance, since those are the parts of the picture where the data raises questions rather than providing answers.
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