The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Midway Star Academy
Midway Star Academy is a small K-8 district in Ramsey County, Minnesota, serving a single school by the same name. The district was originally called Dugsi Academy and changed to its current name in 2020, a rebranding that families will see reflected in official materials. Because the district ends at eighth grade, there is no high school, and no graduation rate is reported. Families with middle schoolers will need to plan for the transition to a high school outside the district.
The student body is nearly entirely Black, with a very small number of students identifying as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Enrollment is concentrated across kindergarten through eighth grade, with each grade holding a modest cohort. There is no reported data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on students with individualized education plans or English learner status. Those are gaps a parent may want to follow up on with the school directly.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that across math, reading, and science, proficiency rates are generally low. In math, the proportion of students scoring at proficient levels falls below one in four in most grades, and in fifth grade no students reached proficiency. Reading results are somewhat stronger in the middle grades: seventh graders posted a noticeably higher proficiency rate than the district’s other tested grades, while third graders saw a very low share. Science results, available for fifth and eighth grades, are also very low. Participation rates on the assessments hover around three‑quarters of enrolled students, which is below full participation and something to consider when interpreting the scores. Overall, the district’s proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Ramsey County’s districts.
There is one clear strength in the school environment: the chronic absenteeism rate is very low, putting Midway Star Academy in the top quartile among county districts. This suggests that students are in class consistently, a positive foundation for learning. Per‑pupil current spending is in the upper half of the county range, though not exceptionally high or low.
No data is available on discipline rates, course access, or staffing. The district’s governance status (charter, magnet, or traditional) is not specified in the records, so families should verify how the school is structured. Similarly, there is no community context such as housing values or local demographics to round out the picture of the neighborhood.
Midway Star Academy fits families looking for a small K‑8 setting with a predominantly Black student population and a record of strong daily attendance. The academic numbers are soft, and anyone considering the district will want to discuss academic support, special programs, and what high school options are typical for graduates. The district’s recent name change and the gaps in reported data are worth a direct conversation with the school to get a fuller sense of daily life and instructional priorities.
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