Highview Middle School, New Brighton MN

Original Research by School Decision on Highview Middle School

Highview Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in New Brighton, a primarily residential Twin Cities suburb in Ramsey County. It is a regular public school that feeds into Irondale High School within the Mounds View Public School District.

The school’s overall academic performance across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile when compared with other districts in Ramsey County, a meaningful benchmark given that the county includes many of the Twin Cities’ established suburban systems. But the proficiency picture is not uniform across subjects or grade levels, and a parent looking closely at the numbers will want to examine the pattern.

In English language arts, roughly half to just over half of students across grades six, seven, and eight met state standards in the most recent testing year. Math proficiency is more variable: it peaks in seventh grade, with a solid majority of students meeting standards, while eighth-grade math proficiency drops to the lowest point for that subject. Science, which is tested only in eighth grade, shows a substantially lower share of students reaching proficiency. Because the state changed its science assessment and cut scores that year, comparing this result with prior years is not straightforward, but the current figure is well below what many families might expect given the school’s overall county standing. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports eighth graders in math and science.

Highview enrolls a diverse student body. White students make up the largest group, followed by Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students in noticeable shares. About two of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school on the higher side of economic need for a middle school in this part of the metro area. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available.

The school is part of Mounds View Public Schools, a district that recently secured additional operating levy funding from voters. An existing levy was renewed without a tax increase, and a second question added new revenue designated for social-emotional support, academic support, and maintaining class sizes. At the same time, the district has made budget reductions in staffing, professional development, and operations, citing inflation and state funding constraints as drivers. For the current school year, the district approved limited nonresident open enrollment at the elementary level, but that option does not appear to extend to the middle school, meaning Highview is likely closed to families living outside the district.

New Brighton is a community of single-family homes, lakes, parks, and a stretch of Rice Creek. The city’s population has been relatively stable over recent decades. Home values in the school’s ZIP code are above the national typical level, and rents have risen modestly. The city lacks a traditional downtown; civic life is organized around city hall, parks, and community events such as the annual Stockyard Days festival. The schools are spread across the city rather than clustered.

Highview is performing well in a countywide comparison, but its internal results show that this strength is driven more by ELA and early middle school math than by later middle school math or science. The school may be an appealing fit for a family that values strong overall district support—reflected in the recent levy passage—and wants a suburban middle school setting with significant economic diversity. Families concerned about the eighth-grade transition in math and science should look into what academic support programs the school offers for those grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 50% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 57% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 51% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 62% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 57% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 56% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 25% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolMOUNDS VIEW PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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-income70%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income71%41 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income65%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income62%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income71%45 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income54%33 pp gap