Community of Peace Academy Middle, Saint Paul MN

Original Research by School Decision on Community of Peace Academy Middle

Community of Peace Academy Middle is a charter school in Saint Paul serving fifth through eighth grade. It is part of the Community of Peace Academy district, a single-charter entity. The school’s name and its publicly reported recognition as a National School of Character point to an explicit focus on social-emotional learning and peace education, though specific program details were not in the data provided.

The student body is diverse and heavily concentrated in low-income households. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate well above the typical Saint Paul public school. The racial and ethnic composition reflects the city’s diversity: the largest group is Asian students, followed by Black students, then Hispanic students, with a small share of white students and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races. The school is a regular charter school, not a magnet or alternative program, and it serves a neighborhood in the eastern part of Saint Paul near the Mississippi River.

This school’s academic achievement, as measured by state assessments in the most recent testing year, is low across all subjects and grade levels. In reading, proficiency rates varied by grade but were generally modest, and in math they were lower. Science proficiency rates were very low for both tested grades. The overall proficiency index for the school places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Ramsey County. A single year of test data was available, so there is no trend to compare against, and it is worth noting that state testing in science involved an assessment change that year, which may affect comparability. A parent interested in academic performance should look into this further with the school.

The school’s enrollment is small for a middle school, with roughly balanced class sizes across the four grades. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available, so a parent with a child in either category would want to ask the school directly about supports.

Saint Paul itself is Minnesota’s capital and second-largest city, a dense urban environment with a strong civic identity anchored by the state capitol, a nationally ranked park system, and a mix of cultural institutions and professional sports venues. The economy is dominated by state government, with healthcare also significant in the broader metro. Population has been relatively stable, and housing values in the school’s ZIP code are below the state average, reflecting the neighborhood’s more affordable stock.

No recent parent-relevant changes, such as curriculum overhauls, boundary shifts, or major funding referendums, were found for the Community of Peace Academy district. The school’s character education focus and its charter status mean it operates independently of the larger Saint Paul Public Schools system, so families choose it by lottery or application rather than by address.

This is a school that makes a clear value commitment to peace and character development in a diverse, high-poverty urban setting. The academic numbers are a soft spot that a family would want to explore directly. The school’s size and charter structure mean a close-knit environment, but also limited course breadth compared to a large comprehensive middle school. It fits a family that prioritizes the school’s explicit social mission and is willing to engage actively on academic progress.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 83%

School 3% · District 3%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolCOMMUNITY OF PEACE ACADEMY, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income39%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income31%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income27%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income18%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income3%Higher-income31%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income25%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income15%Higher-income18%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income35%13 pp gap