The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Laura Jeffrey Academy Charter
Laura Jeffrey Academy Charter is a single-school charter district serving grades five through eight in St. Paul, Minnesota. It operates as its own district within Ramsey County, which means the school and the district are the same entity. Because it serves only middle-grade levels, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and state science testing is administered only in fifth and eighth grades.
The academy’s overall academic proficiency, averaged across all tested subjects and grades, places it in the top quarter of districts in Ramsey County. That position is driven largely by strong results in English language arts. In reading and writing, proficiency rates across the four tested grades are solid, with the eighth-grade cohort showing a very high level of mastery. Math performance tells a more uneven story. In the lower grades, proficiency rates are modest, but the trajectory is upward: by eighth grade, a clear majority of students meet state standards in math. Science results in both fifth and eighth grades sit at the midpoint, with half of students reaching proficiency. Taken together, the school’s academic profile suggests that students who stay through the upper grades tend to leave well prepared in literacy, while math skills develop more slowly and may require extra attention in the early middle-school years.
The student body is comparatively small for a district, with enrollment spread across four grade levels. Racially, the majority of students are white, followed by smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, as well as students receiving special education services or English learner support, were not available in the state reporting, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those proportions.
Chronic absenteeism, a measure of how many students miss a substantial number of school days, is lower than the typical rate across Ramsey County districts, indicating reasonably consistent attendance. Per-pupil operating spending is in the upper range compared with other districts in the county, which may reflect the resource demands of running a small, standalone school.
The school’s website and public materials describe it as a charter middle school, but no recent referendum, curriculum change, property-tax shift, or other district-level decision was found in publicly reported sources. That likely means the school has been stable in its operations and programming in the near term, without major shifts that would affect a family’s decision. The lack of a graduation rate, wide program offerings, or traditional high school pathways means this school fits squarely as a middle-school option. Families looking for a small setting where literacy outcomes are a clear strength and where math performance improves markedly by eighth grade may find it a good match. Those with a child who struggles in math in fifth or sixth grade should explore what support structures the school provides, given the lower early-grade proficiency in that subject.
See more original research from School Decision →