The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Stride Academy
STRIDE Academy is a public charter school district in Stearns County, Minnesota, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It has been operating as a single-campus entity, with its only school listed as Stride Academy K-8 Charter School. This is a small-sized district by enrollment, and it serves a narrow grade span, which carries implications for what data is available. Because the district does not serve high school students, there is no graduation rate to report, and families considering STRIDE should know they will need to plan for a high school placement elsewhere after eighth grade.
The student body is distinctive in its composition. The overwhelming majority of students are Black, making up a very large share of the enrollment. White students and students identifying as two or more races each account for a much smaller share, and there are smaller numbers of Hispanic, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not reported in the available data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic need and the types of support programs in place.
State assessment results are available for math, English language arts, and science, and they paint a consistent picture. Across most tested grades, proficiency rates in math were low, with a notable drop in the later elementary and middle school years. In English language arts, the pattern was uneven: proficiency was low in third and fourth grade, rose to a level around the midpoint in fifth grade, then declined again in the upper grades. Science results, reported for fifth and eighth grade, showed a very small share of students scoring at the proficient level. A parent should note that the state changed its science assessment and cut scores, so those results are not directly comparable to prior years. Overall, academic performance as measured by state tests places this district in the bottom quartile among Stearns County's districts for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades.
On a more positive note, chronic absenteeism was quite low by comparison, falling in the top quartile among the county's districts, meaning a much smaller share of students missed large amounts of school than in many nearby systems. Per-pupil spending was in the lower range compared to other districts in the county, which is relevant for parents who pay attention to resource levels.
The district brief indicates several parent-relevant developments. STRIDE reintroduced all K-8 grades in the 2021-2022 school year after a period when it did not offer a full span, and enrollment has grown since then. Families considering the school should know that this is a recently reconstituted pathway, and the grade reintegration was paired with a reported major capital construction investment, suggesting the school has expanded its physical capacity to accommodate more students. The school’s curriculum is described as a Core Knowledge curriculum, which is a structured, content-rich approach, paired with individualized learning plans and a 1:1 technology program for all staff and students. It also operates a Multilingual Learner Program. These are publicly reported claims from the school and the state charter school association, so a parent might confirm the details of the curriculum and the support services during a visit or conversation with the school leadership.
Housing and community context data for the specific location of this school was not available in the provided materials, so a parent researching the area should look into the immediate neighborhood and the broader St. Cloud region where the school is situated. The comparison data shows that STRIDE operates within Stearns County, a region that includes both rural communities and the St. Cloud metropolitan area, but the school’s own setting was not characterized.
For a family weighing STRIDE Academy, the choice comes down to fit. The school offers a small, K-8 environment with a specific curricular model, a technology emphasis, and a student population that is predominantly Black. The academic results on state tests are clearly low, and a parent would want to understand what the school is doing to address learning gaps and how the individualized learning plans function in practice. The low chronic absenteeism rate is a positive signal about student engagement and school climate. The absence of high school grades means a transition is inevitable, so parents should also investigate where students in this district typically go after eighth grade and how well those receiving schools serve them.
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