North Shore Community School, Duluth MN

Original Research by School Decision on North Shore Community School

North Shore Community School is a public charter school in Duluth, Minnesota, serving students from preschool through sixth grade. As a single-site charter, it operates independently of the traditional Duluth public school system, functioning as its own district. The school is located on Ryan Road, a setting on the eastern edge of the city, away from the downtown core and the Lake Superior waterfront.

The student body is predominantly white, with a very small number of students identifying as Hispanic, Asian, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a middle- to lower-income demographic. The school is a regular elementary-level charter, meaning it does not have a specialized mission like a Montessori or arts focus, at least not according to the data available. Because the school ends at sixth grade, there are no high school measures such as a graduation rate or Advanced Placement offerings to report.

Academically, North Shore Community School shows results that place it in the top quartile for overall proficiency among the districts in St. Louis County. This is a strong position for a charter school drawing from a broad attendance area. On the state’s Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) for the most recent testing year, reading proficiency rates across grades three through six are solid, with a notably strong showing in fifth grade. Math proficiency rates are more varied, with a dip in fifth grade before a recovery in sixth grade. Science results for fifth graders, the only tested grade in that subject, are lower than the reading and math numbers, a gap that families may want to discuss with the school to understand the curriculum and instructional approach.

The school environment data is thin. We do not have information on chronic absenteeism, disciplinary actions, staffing ratios, or the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support. A parent looking for details on class sizes, teacher turnover, or how the school supports students with learning differences would need to ask the school directly. The lack of a Title I designation status also leaves a gap in understanding what federal support the school accesses.

Housing in the ZIP code the school draws from is generally in line with national benchmarks, with home values that have seen a notable increase over the past year. The broader Duluth economy is anchored by healthcare, the Port of Duluth, tourism, and higher education. The city itself has a stable, slow-growth population and a mix of older hillside neighborhoods and lakefront tourist districts. The school’s location on Ryan Road places it in a more residential part of the city, a short drive from the lake.

No recent major changes for the school district were found in public reporting. North Shore Community School appears to be a stable elementary charter with above-average academic performance compared to other districts in the county, especially in reading. Families considering it will want to verify the support structures for the grade levels where math and science results are softer, and clarify the school’s services for students who need extra help, as that data is not publicly available here. For a family seeking a small, independent public school option for elementary and middle school years in the Duluth area, this is a school whose test scores merit a closer look.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolNORTH SHORE COMMUNITY SCHOOL, 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 3Lower-income53%Higher-income70%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income46%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income75%Higher-income76%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income70%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income58%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income49%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income63%13 pp gap