The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Athlos Academy of Saint Cloud
Athlos Academy of Saint Cloud, a public charter school in Stearns County, has ceased operations after the 2024-2025 school year. The school served students from kindergarten through fifth grade and is now closed. Families who need student records are directed to contact the St. Cloud Area Schools district. For anyone reading this narrative in the aftermath of that closure, the school is not an option, but what follows describes what it was during its final year.
In that final year, the school enrolled a small student body, roughly a few hundred children. The student population was predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic presence and a smaller White share; the remainder was made up of students who identified as two or more races or as American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education services, and English learner status was not available from the state reporting, so a parent looking at that year would have needed to ask the school directly.
Academically, the school’s performance on Minnesota’s state assessments was low compared with other districts in Stearns County. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed Athlos Academy in the bottom quartile among the county’s districts. In mathematics, proficiency rates in grades three through five were in the teens or lower, and in reading, they ranged from below a fifth of students proficient in third grade to just over two-fifths proficient in sixth grade, though sixth grade had a very small tested group. Science results for fifth graders were similarly low. The school also had a high rate of chronic absenteeism, again in the bottom quartile relative to the county, meaning a notable share of students missed a significant number of school days. Per-pupil spending, by contrast, fell in the upper range among the county’s districts.
Because the school served only elementary and some middle grades, there is no graduation rate to consider. The school’s website and state records confirm that it officially closed after the 2024-2025 year. That closure eliminates this option for prospective families, and whatever academic strengths or weaknesses it had are now historical. A parent looking for elementary schooling in the Saint Cloud area would need to consider other public, charter, or private options in the region. No data on course offerings, discipline, or staffing was reported, so those aspects of the school’s environment are not available from the provided information.
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