Community School of Excellence Elem, Saint Paul MN

Original Research by School Decision on Community School of Excellence Elem

Community School of Excellence Elem is a charter school in Saint Paul that serves children from prekindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Community School of Excellence district, a single-school charter organization. As a charter school, it operates independently of the larger Saint Paul Public Schools district, with its own governance and enrollment process. Families choose to apply here, and the school sets its own educational program.

The student body is distinctive in its makeup. Nearly all enrolled students are Asian, overwhelmingly of Hmong heritage, reflecting the school’s founding mission and the large Hmong community in Saint Paul. A substantial share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. The enrollment is of a size typical for an elementary school in its grade band.

Because the school ends at fourth grade, state testing results are available only for the grades that are assessed: third and fourth graders in math and English language arts, and fifth graders in science from a prior year. On the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were below the midpoint among districts in Ramsey County when averaged across tested subjects and grades. In math, performance was higher in fourth grade than in third, but in both grades the share of students meeting proficiency standards was modest. In English language arts, the rates were also low. A science assessment from a prior year for fifth graders showed a similar pattern. A parent looking at these scores would see that the school’s academic outcomes as measured by state tests are a soft spot; it may be worth asking the school how it addresses foundational literacy and math skills, and what supports are in place for students who are not yet at grade level.

The school’s location in Saint Paul places families in Minnesota’s capital city, a dense urban environment with a mix of government employment, cultural institutions, parks, and event venues. The city is diverse and has a well-regarded park system. Housing in the surrounding zip code is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, and rents have been rising. The school is situated on Larpenteur Avenue West, in a neighborhood that is primarily residential and commercial.

No data was available for chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access, so those areas cannot be characterized. The district brief turned up no recent curriculum changes, referendums, or policy shifts that would affect a parent’s decision. The school has not published a graduation rate, which is expected because it does not serve high school grades. Families considering this school will need to look ahead to where their child would attend after fourth grade, as the school’s pathway ends there.

In short, Community School of Excellence Elem is a small, mission-focused charter elementary with a homogeneous Asian student population and high economic need. Its state test results are below the typical level for schools in Ramsey County. The school offers a choice within Saint Paul’s educational landscape, but a parent should investigate how the school plans to raise achievement and what the transition to a later school looks like.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 20%

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 8% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 7% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolCOMMUNITY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE, 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-income14%Higher-income30%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income33%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income15%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income40%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income13%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income40%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income39%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income23%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income20%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income6%Higher-income13%6 pp gap