Midway Star Academy, Saint Paul MN

Original Research by School Decision on Midway Star Academy

Midway Star Academy is a K-8 charter school in Saint Paul, serving a student body that is nearly entirely Black. The school sits within a city that is itself one of the most diverse in the state, a mix of government, commercial, and residential life wrapped around the Mississippi River, with the state capitol and downtown amenities a short distance away. The school was renamed from Dugsi Academy to Midway Star Academy in 2020, a branding change that families will encounter in all current communications.

The student population is small relative to many of the district-run elementary and middle schools in Saint Paul, which matters for families weighing the feel of a school. A very high share of students come from low-income households, a fact that shapes the resources and support structures the school community navigates. The school’s enrollment is stable across grades, with no sharp drop-offs as students move up, which suggests that families who enroll early tend to stay.

State test results paint a mixed picture. In reading, there is a notable pattern: early elementary grades show low proficiency, but performance rises substantially by seventh grade, where a majority of students met state standards. Eighth-grade reading also lands above where the early grades begin. In math and science, proficiency rates are low across all grades. A parent considering Midway Star Academy will want to understand how the school is addressing early literacy and math foundations, and how the stronger reading outcomes in later grades are being achieved. Because the school does not serve high school, there is no graduation rate to consider. Science testing data was available only for fifth and eighth grades, and participation rates for those assessments were not complete for all students, so families should treat those results as partial rather than definitive.

The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Ramsey County. This is a meaningful placement: it tells a parent that on the broad state measures of reading, math, and science, Midway Star Academy is not among the higher-performing schools in the county. That said, the data available is from a single school year, so there is no trend line to show improvement or decline over time.

Midway Star Academy operates as its own school district, a single-school charter entity. This means it is its own local education agency, separate from Saint Paul Public Schools. For families, that creates a different administrative setup: the school handles enrollment, transportation, and special education independently. A parent should confirm how services like special education, English learner supports, and transportation are provided, as charter schools of this size may have different arrangements than a traditional district.

The school is located on Snelling Avenue North in Saint Paul’s Midway neighborhood, a corridor that runs through the center of the city. Saint Paul’s housing market is moderate relative to the national picture, and the city has a stable population with a slight recent decline. The area offers light rail and bus connections across the metro, and the city’s park system is widely recognized as one of the best in the country. For families choosing a school, the neighborhood context is practical: it is an urban setting with the usual trade-offs of convenience, diversity, and the challenges that come with a high-poverty school population.

A family considering Midway Star Academy should be aware that the school’s academic performance on state tests is low in most subjects and grade levels, but with a meaningful bright spot in later-grade reading. The near-universal poverty level among students is a reality of the school’s community, not a verdict on the school itself, but it does mean that resources, parent fundraising capacity, and out-of-school supports may look different than at schools serving a more affluent population. Because the school is a charter, there is no attendance zone: any family in the area may apply, and enrollment is by choice, which can create a community of families who have opted in.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

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

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 15%

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolMidway Star 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.