The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Math. The lowest is 13% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sejong Academy Lower School
Sejong Academy Lower School is a public charter school in Saint Paul serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is the lower school of Sejong Academy of Minnesota, a PreK-12 Korean immersion charter network that has expanded from its original elementary-only configuration. The school’s name and program come from Sejong the Great, the Korean king who created the Hangul alphabet. Language immersion is the central academic identity here. This lower school is part of a full IB pathway that the district has recently built out: its Middle Years Programme for older grades and its Career-related Programme for high school were both authorized in mid-2025, so a family enrolling here can follow a continuous Korean immersion and internationally-baccalaureate track through graduation.
The student body is nearly entirely Asian, with a very small number of White, multiracial, Black, and Hispanic students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment is small overall, split across grades from pre-K to sixth in roughly similar-sized groups. The school is located on University Avenue West in Saint Paul, in a corridor that is dense and walkable relative to the surrounding neighborhoods. Saint Paul itself is the state capital, a mid-sized city with a strong civic core, a well-ranked park system, and significant cultural and sports venues. The district recently relocated its main campus, which is worth noting: the lower school address is in Saint Paul, but the district headquarters moved to Maplewood between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, so families should confirm where upper-grade siblings will attend and what the commute looks like.
State testing data is available for grades three through five. Proficiency rates on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments vary by grade and subject but are generally low across the board. In math, the share of students meeting the state standard was in the low to mid range for third grade, dropped notably in fourth grade, and was very low in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency was lower than the math numbers in third grade, below one in four in fourth grade, and below one in five in fifth grade. Science results for fifth graders were similarly low. These are the school’s own reported results, and they place below what many families would expect from a typical school. The overall proficiency index for the school, combining tested subjects and grades, sits above the midpoint relative to other districts in Ramsey County, which offers a slightly more favorable comparison than the raw numbers might suggest on their own, but the absolute figures remain a soft spot. A parent considering this school should ask the staff directly how the immersion curriculum aligns with state standards and what additional supports are available for students who need to catch up.
Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, and staffing is not available in the source material. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. These gaps mean a family cannot yet assess how well the school retains students from year to year or how stable its teaching force is.
Housing in the school’s zip code reflects a typical Twin Cities urban market. Home values dipped slightly over the past year, while rents have increased modestly. The area is part of a broader metro region with a stable job base anchored by state government and health care, so employment context is steady.
For a family seeking a Korean language immersion program in a small, culturally cohesive school that now offers a continuous IB pathway through high school, Sejong Academy Lower School provides a clear academic identity. The trade-off is the testing record, which shows that the majority of students in the tested grades are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks in math, reading, or science. This does not necessarily mean the school is failing its mission, but it is a fact that warrants direct conversation with the school and a close look at how it measures academic progress beyond state tests.
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