North Metro Flex Academy, North Saint Paul MN

Original Research by School Decision on North Metro Flex Academy

North Metro Flex Academy is a K-6 charter school in North Saint Paul, a distinct, fully incorporated city in Ramsey County. The school serves a small enrollment spread across kindergarten through sixth grade. As a charter school, it operates independently of the local school district, and its name reflects a core idea: flexibility in how students access learning. The school’s enrollment is relatively small, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is diverse, with a mix of Black, Hispanic, White, two-or-more-races, and Asian students represented. North Saint Paul itself is an older, compact community with a historic downtown of brick storefronts, a traditional feel, and landmarks like the Gateway State Trail and Silver Lake. It is not a sprawling new suburb but an established small city within the Twin Cities metro.

On state assessments, proficiency rates for North Metro Flex Academy fall below statewide averages in both math and reading across the tested grades. In math, rates are in the range of roughly one-quarter or fewer of students meeting the standard in third, fifth, and sixth grades, with fourth grade closer to a little over one-third. In reading, the pattern is similar; the highest proficiency appears in sixth grade, while third grade shows the lowest. Science results, available for fifth grade, show a small share of students reaching proficiency. When compared to other districts in Ramsey County on a combined proficiency index, the school’s overall performance sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts. This suggests that while the raw numbers are low, many of the districts in the same county are also posting relatively low scores, and this school’s combined rate is not the lowest.

Because the school serves only early and middle grades, it does not produce a high school graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism data was available. The school’s district is the charter authorizer itself, meaning it is a single-school district. Publicly reported information did not surface recent major district-level changes, such as referenda or curriculum overhauls, in the last several years. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the Flex model and how it structures student schedules and expectations, as well as any supports it offers for students who are not meeting grade-level benchmarks.

Housing in the area has a typical metropolitan cost, with the local zip code’s median home value and rent both in a moderate range relative to state benchmarks. The community is an older, slower-growth suburb with an active local government and a small-town feel, which may appeal to families looking for a close-knit environment. For a family considering this school, the central question is whether the Flex model matches a child’s learning style and whether the school’s academic support systems can address the proficiency gaps the state tests reveal. The school’s small size and diverse student body could be assets for families who want a less standardized elementary setting.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

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

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 14%

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

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

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 45%

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

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

This schoolNorth Metro Flex 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income60%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income30%14 pp gap