The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sejong Academy of Minnesota
Sejong Academy of Minnesota is a small charter school district in Ramsey County that operates as a single Korean immersion program across two buildings: a lower school and an upper school. The district’s grade span runs from PreK through 12th grade, a configuration that was expanded over time from its original K–6 foundation, and the district relocated from Saint Paul to Maplewood between the most recent and prior school years, shifting the physical commute for families. These changes, along with the recent authorization of an International Baccalaureate pathway, define what a family enrolling here can expect.
The academic picture is mixed but carries a distinctive structure. On state assessments, proficiency rates vary considerably by grade and subject. Third graders hit a strong mark in math, and seventh graders did solidly in reading, but fourth through eighth graders produced lower proficiency rates in math, and science results in grades 5 and 8 were modest. Overall, the district’s composite proficiency index—the average of all tested grades and subjects—sits above the midpoint among Ramsey County’s districts, a fact that places Sejong in the upper half of this large county, though well shy of the top-tier performers. The data does not include high school state testing, so no picture is available for grades 9 through 12 from this source; a parent looking for those results may want to ask the school directly. No graduation rate was reported, so a reader cannot assess that metric from this data.
What is clear is that Sejong has invested heavily in a defined academic identity. The district became an authorized IB World School, receiving authorization for the Middle Years Programme covering grades 7 through 10 in June and for the Career-related Programme for grades 11 and 12 in August of the same year. This gives families a full, coherent IB pathway through high school, a notable curricular distinction that signals a specific approach to college readiness and project-based learning. The Korean immersion focus is central to the program’s character: the student body is overwhelmingly Asian, reflecting the language-immersion mission, with very small numbers of Black, White, and multiracial students. The total enrollment is modest for a PK–12 system, which may mean small class sizes and tight-knit peer groups by grade level.
Chronic absenteeism, at a rate well below the median among county districts, points to a student population that shows up regularly. Per-pupil spending lands in the middle range, slightly above the county median, suggesting the district allocates resources at a level typical for the area. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, and English learner status were not available, so a reader cannot assess economic or special-population supports from this record.
For a family drawn to a small-scale, language-immersion school with an IB framework from middle school onward, Sejong Academy offers a clear academic pathway and a peer environment shaped by that mission. The uneven state test results in elementary and middle grades are a soft spot that a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand how the program addresses core academic skills, especially as students move through the upper grades toward the IB diploma.
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