The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Math. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Quantum Steam Academy Elementary
Quantum STEAM Academy Elementary in Saint Paul serves kindergarten through fourth grade as a charter school. The school draws its student body entirely from families choosing the school; all enrolled students are Black, and a modest share qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The enrollment is small for its grade band, fitting into a single building on Humboldt Avenue in a residential area of the city's West Side.
The school is part of Quantum STEAM Academy Charter, the district that also includes a middle school component. Publicly reported information shows the district recently expanded its grade span to include prekindergarten, offering a Voluntary Prekindergarten option and a School Readiness program on a sliding fee. This creates a continuous PreK-through-8 pathway within the same charter organization, which parents with younger children may find useful.
Saint Paul itself is Minnesota's capital and second-largest city, forming the eastern half of the Twin Cities metro area. The population is notably diverse, with a large Hmong community among other groups. Downtown sits on a bend of the Mississippi River, with the state capitol on a nearby hill and a mix of government buildings, cultural institutions such as the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Ordway Center, and professional sports venues that generate event-driven street life. The city's park system has ranked highly nationally. Major employers include state and county government. Housing values and rents in the broader Saint Paul area have been rising at a moderate pace.
Academically, the elementary school's state assessment results come from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments for grades three and four in math and English language arts. The proficiency rates across those tested subjects and grades place the school above the midpoint among Ramsey County's districts. However, those rates are lower than what many families might expect from a typical public school. In math, performance dropped markedly from third to fourth grade; in English language arts, both grades showed low proficiency, with fourth grade below one in five students meeting standards. Because the school serves only through fourth grade, there is no graduation rate and no science testing data for fifth grade (the grade when science is assessed), as the school does not include that grade. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about its curriculum and instructional approach, as well as how it supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
No information was available on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or program offerings such as advanced coursework or special education services. The school's charter status means it operates with some autonomy from the larger Saint Paul Public Schools district, though it is located within the city.
For a family seeking a small, intentionally focused elementary school within Saint Paul, Quantum STEAM Academy Elementary offers a tight-knit setting where all students share a common racial background and a relatively low share of poverty as measured by meal subsidy eligibility. The STEAM designation suggests an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, but no specific program details were available in the data. The recent addition of prekindergarten to the charter district may be relevant for families with younger children planning ahead. The academic results are a soft spot that warrants direct conversation with the school to understand how they are addressing student progress and what parents can expect as their child moves through the grades.
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