Hennepin Schools Upper Campus, Minneapolis MN

Original Research by School Decision on Hennepin Schools Upper Campus

Hennepin Schools Upper Campus is a charter school in Minneapolis serving grades five through eight. It is part of a small charter district that recently consolidated its lower and upper campuses into a single K-8 building on East 46th Street, a change families should be aware of when considering the school. The school is located in a dense, urban part of the city, within a neighborhood of Minneapolis that is home to a mix of residential blocks and commercial corridors.

The student body is small for a middle-school grade band. The vast majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by free or reduced-price meal eligibility. The student population is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a very small number of Asian and white students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports available for those groups.

On state assessments, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Hennepin County. In math, proficiency rates across grades five through eight were in the low-to-mid twenties, with a slight uptick in eighth grade. In English language arts, rates ranged from the mid-twenties to the low thirties, with seventh grade showing the highest rate. Science proficiency rates were notably lower, though the state changed the science assessment and cut scores in the most recent year, which makes direct comparison with prior years unreliable. A parent may want to discuss the school's approach to science instruction and how it supports students in meeting state standards.

The school serves only grades five through eight, so there is no graduation rate to report. The district itself is a charter school district, not a traditional public school district, which means it does not have the same property-tax or referendum structure as a conventional district. The consolidation of the lower and upper campuses into a single K-8 building is the most significant recent change, and families should confirm how this affects the daily experience for middle-grade students sharing a building with elementary grades.

Housing in the surrounding area is moderately priced relative to the state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents that have seen modest year-over-year increases. The neighborhood around the school is a typical Minneapolis urban residential area, with a mix of older homes and apartment buildings.

Overall, Hennepin Schools Upper Campus is a small charter middle school serving a predominantly low-income student body in a major city. Its academic proficiency rates on state tests are below the county median, and the school has recently undergone a campus consolidation that families will want to understand firsthand. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation data to consider. A parent considering this school should visit, ask about academic supports and the science curriculum, and get a clear picture of how the shared K-8 campus operates day to day.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

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

English language arts

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolHennepin Schools, 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.