The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on New Century School Secondary
New Century School Secondary is a small charter public school in Saint Paul serving grades six through eleven. The school is part of the New Century School district, a charter network that also offers an online program and a recently opened alternative program, New Century Academy. The secondary campus enrolls a modest number of students, with enrollment distributed across grades six through ten and a notably smaller group in grade eleven. Because the school does not serve grade twelve, it does not report a graduation rate.
The student body is almost entirely Black, and nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a strong indicator of low household income. Other racial groups are present in very small numbers. The school does not publish counts of students with individualized education programs or English learner status, so the share of students receiving special education or language support is not known.
State test results from the most recent school year place the school below the midpoint of districts in Ramsey County on a combined proficiency measure. Across individual grades tested, math proficiency is below typical levels at every grade: roughly one in seven students met the standard in grade six, with slightly lower rates in grades seven and eight. Reading proficiency is higher but still well below the statewide average, with about two in five students proficient in grade six and roughly one in four in grades seven and eight. Science results, available only for grade eight, are very low. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its approach to instruction, intervention, and how it supports students who enter below grade level.
The school operates out of a facility on Energy Lane in Saint Paul. The city itself is Minnesota's capital and the state's second-largest city, with a mix of government, commercial, and residential neighborhoods. Home values in the zip code that includes the school are above both the state and national medians, and rents have been rising as well, consistent with the broader Twin Cities metro area. Families considering the school may commingle from various parts of the city or the surrounding area. Saint Paul's population is notably diverse, with a large Hmong community, and the city offers a range of cultural institutions, parks, and professional sports venues. The school's setting is urban, but the specific campus is on a commercial road rather than in a dense residential neighborhood.
The charter district has recently expanded its offerings with New Century Academy, an alternative program launched in fall 2023 that targets students who have not found success in traditional school settings, and an online program serving grades K-12 statewide. These additions suggest the district is trying to reach students with different needs, though New Century School Secondary itself remains a regular charter school, not an alternative program.
The school provides no publicly reported data on disciplinary actions, course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. This makes it hard to assess the academic environment inside the building beyond the test scores. For a family weighing this option, the low proficiency rates and missing information on student support structures are significant considerations. The school's small size and charter status could appeal to families seeking an alternative to the larger Saint Paul Public Schools system, but the test results indicate that, at least in its early secondary grades, the school has not yet produced strong academic outcomes for its students.
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