Gateway Stem Academy Charter School, Burnsville MN

Original Research by School Decision on Gateway Stem Academy Charter School

Gateway STEM Academy Charter School is a K-8 charter school located in Burnsville, a primarily residential suburb of Minneapolis–Saint Paul that was largely built out by the late 2000s and has since focused on redevelopment projects such as the urban-style Heart of the City district and the Grande Market Square. The city itself grew rapidly from a small farming community after the construction of Interstate 35, and today it is a bedroom community with a mix of commercial and retail development, including a regional mall, and is home to its own public school district (Independent School District 191) as well as charter schools like Gateway.

Gateway STEM Academy serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade as a regular public charter school. Its enrollment is small, with an even smaller number of students in the upper grades. The student body is entirely Black, and nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so a parent may want to follow up with the school directly for that information.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates across all tested subjects and grades were low. In mathematics, the share of students meeting proficiency standards ranged from less than a tenth in some grades to a quarter in one grade, with several grades showing no students proficient. In English language arts, rates were somewhat higher but still well below half, with the highest single-grade result at roughly three in ten students. Science results showed similarly low figures, and it is worth noting that the science assessment had both a name change and a cut score change that year, which may affect comparability with prior results. Overall, when all grades and subjects are combined into a single proficiency index, Gateway STEM Academy falls in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Dakota County.

Because the school only serves grades K-8, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. The school operates as its own charter district, and a search for recent district-level changes—such as property tax shifts, referendums, or curriculum overhauls—found no evidence of any that would meet the bar for lasting impact. The school opened more than a decade ago and appears to have been stable in its operations.

Given the small size and focused mission, Gateway STEM Academy may appeal to families who want a K-8 charter option within Burnsville. The academic profile, however, shows that most students are not reaching state proficiency benchmarks. This is a meaningful concern, and a parent considering the school should look into what specific instructional strategies and supports are in place, how the school works to address the academic needs of students from high-poverty backgrounds, and what the trajectory of recent years looks like beyond the single year of data available here.

The surrounding community of Burnsville offers a full suburban infrastructure with parks, a transit station, and a range of employers including the local school district and healthcare facilities. Housing values in the area are close to the state median, and rents have been rising at a moderate clip. For families who live in or are moving to Burnsville, Gateway STEM Academy is one of several schooling options, each with a distinct profile. This one is a small, economically homogenous charter school with very low reported test outcomes and no high school program, meaning families must plan for a transition after eighth grade.

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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 · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 9%

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

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 8%

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

English language arts

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 19%

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

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

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 4%

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

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

This schoolGateway STEM 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.