Aurora Middle School, Minneapolis MN

Original Research by School Decision on Aurora Middle School

Aurora Middle School is a charter school serving grades five through eight in Minneapolis, part of the Aurora Charter School district. It is classified as a regular public school, though its charter status gives it a distinct governance structure compared to traditional district schools in the city. The school is located on East 26th Street in Minneapolis, a major urban center that is Minnesota’s most populous city, home to a dense mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, cultural institutions, and a major university campus. With twenty-two lakes and an extensive park system, Minneapolis offers a distinctive setting, but the school itself operates within the city’s fabric.

The student body at Aurora Middle School is entirely Hispanic, and a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a school where economic need is widespread. No data was available on the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support, which may be relevant to families considering how well the school can meet specific needs.

State assessment results for the most recent testing year show proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science that are markedly low. In math, the share of students scoring proficient was in the single digits across grades five through eight. In English language arts, proficiency was somewhat higher but still clustered at a low level, with the strongest grade reaching about a quarter of students meeting the bar. Science results, available for grades five and eight, also showed very low proficiency. These figures place Aurora Middle School in the bottom quartile among all schools in Hennepin County when considering overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Because the school serves only middle grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report.

When a school’s proficiency numbers are this low, individual families will want to investigate what academic supports and instructional approaches are in place. The data alone does not explain why results are where they are, and a charter school may have a specific educational model that prioritizes areas not captured by state tests. That is a question to take to the school directly.

The broader housing market in the area surrounding the school reflects Minneapolis as a whole. Home values and rents are in a range typical of many Midwestern urban cores, though the city has seen a modest population decline since the last census. The unemployment rate and mortgage rates at the national level provide context for household finances, but local affordability will depend on the specific neighborhood. For families living near the school, the area is well-connected by public transit and has access to the city’s parks, libraries, and cultural venues.

The district itself, Aurora Charter School, did not have any publicly reported recent changes such as referenda, curriculum shifts, or property-tax adjustments that would be directly relevant to a parent deciding about this school. That means the school’s trajectory may be shaped more by its own leadership and charter renewal processes than by district-wide initiatives. For a family considering Aurora Middle School, the core takeaway is that it serves a population of mostly low-income Hispanic students in an urban setting, and its state test results are very low. The school may offer a focused small-school environment, but the academic outcomes as measured by state assessments are an area requiring careful inquiry.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 5%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 72%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 26%

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

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 23%

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

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 2%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 5%

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

This schoolAURORA CHARTER 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 6Lower-income24%Higher-income30%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income3%Higher-income10%7 pp gap