Original Research by School Decision on Face to Face Academy Online
Face to Face Academy Online is a small charter high school in Saint Paul serving grades nine through twelve. The school is part of a single-school charter district that, based on what is publicly known about its broader operation, focuses on serving students who have not thrived in traditional school settings. The online program described here represents a particular pathway within that mission.
The school is very small. Enrollment data shows fewer than a handful of students across all four grade levels, making it one of the smallest high school settings one could find in Ramsey County. The student body is racially diverse, with Black students and White students comprising the two groups represented in the most recent data.
State testing results are available for a single recent school year, and they show a proficiency rate that reported at zero percent in both English language arts and mathematics. A parent considering this school should understand that this figure comes from a very small number of test-takers, and the school's target population includes students who may have been significantly behind grade level when they enrolled. Still, the result is a fact worth knowing, and anyone choosing this school should ask the staff directly about academic progress measures and how the school tracks growth for students who start below grade level. Because the school is a charter serving a specific at-risk population, the typical proficiency benchmark used for mainstream schools may not tell the full story of whether students are making meaningful gains.
A graduation rate was not available in the data. That is not unusual for a school with such a small senior class, but a family considering this as a path to a diploma will want to confirm with the school what completion rates look like and how the online program ensures students meet state graduation requirements.
The school is an online program of Face to Face Academy, which is a Saint Paul charter school known for working with homeless and highly mobile youth. The online component presumably offers flexibility around attendance, location, and pacing that a traditional classroom cannot provide. That is a genuine strength for a student who needs to work, manage family responsibilities, or step away from the social pressures of a conventional high school. The trade-off is that an online model asks a great deal of self-direction from the student, and the very small peer group means almost no in-person social dynamic during the school day.
Saint Paul itself is Minnesota's capital city, a government and cultural hub built along the Mississippi River. The city has a deeply rooted government employment base, a robust park system, and a diverse population with a large Hmong community and significant Black and Hispanic populations. Housing in the zip code area where the school is located has a median value that is below the state average, and rents have been climbing moderately, consistent with the broader Twin Cities market. The neighborhood around Arcade Street is east of downtown, a working-class area with older housing stock and proximity to both industrial and residential blocks.
For a family evaluating this school, the central question is fit. A student who is disengaged from a traditional school and needs a flexible, low-pressure online environment to earn credits toward a diploma may find a workable option here. A student who wants a full high school experience with clubs, sports, a large peer group, and in-person instruction will need to look at the many other schools in the Saint Paul area. The academic performance data is weak on its face, but the context of who this school serves means that raw proficiency rates are not the only measure that matters. A parent should press for specifics on credit recovery, graduation planning, and teacher accessibility before enrolling.
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