The reported proficiency rate for Science is 4%.
Original Research by School Decision on Heritage Academy High
Heritage Academy High sits within the Minneapolis Public School District, a large urban system that has been navigating enrollment declines and budget pressures. The district has recently closed several schools, restructured attendance boundaries and magnet placements through its Comprehensive District Design, and faced a significant budget deficit. Voters renewed a technology levy in 2022 but rejected an operating levy increase in 2020. For families in the district, these conditions mean ongoing flux in school assignments and program availability. The district office, not the individual school, makes many of these decisions.
Heritage Academy High itself is a small, regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve on Elliot Avenue South in Minneapolis. The school is not a charter. Its enrollment is very small, and the student body is almost entirely Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available.
State testing results are limited and dated. The most recent available science assessment data is from the 2018-19 school year, and it showed a very low proficiency rate. A single year of data, especially one so old, does not by itself tell a full story, but a parent would want to ask the school what its current academic achievement looks like and whether that 2018-19 snapshot reflects a pattern or an isolated year. The school's proficiency index, which averages tested subjects and grades, falls in the bottom quartile among schools in Hennepin County. Test participation data was also missing for that year. More recent state testing trends appear to be reported as zero percent proficient for both English language arts and math in the 2024-25 school year. Because the number reads exactly zero for both subjects, it may reflect a data reporting issue rather than actual outcomes, and a parent should verify this with the school directly.
The school does not have a reported four-year graduation rate in the data, so that metric is not available to assess. Chronic absenteeism data is likewise absent. These are meaningful gaps for a high school, and a parent should ask whether the school tracks and publishes these figures.
There is no information about course offerings, Advanced Placement, dual credit, career and technical education programs, or extracurriculars. Whether Heritage Academy High provides a full range of college preparatory and career pathways is an open question that the data does not answer.
Minneapolis as a city is a major urban center with a dense mix of uses, a strong downtown, major arts institutions, the University of Minnesota campus, and a large park system. Housing values in the school's zip code are somewhat below the state benchmark, and rents have been rising modestly. The unemployment rate is moderate.
What this adds up to for a family is a high school with a very small, concentrated student body in a large urban district undergoing structural change. The academic data that exists is thin and dated, and it points to low proficiency, which a family would want to investigate thoroughly. The lack of graduation rate, attendance, program, and discipline data means a parent cannot assess core aspects of the school's performance from public records alone. A family considering this school would need to contact the school directly, visit, and ask pointed questions about current test results, graduation pathways, and student supports. For a student who needs a very small school environment and whose family is prepared to do that investigative work, Heritage Academy High could be an option worth exploring. For a family seeking a school with a clear, current academic record and a full array of high school offerings, the available data offers little reassurance.
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