St. Michael-albertville Middle East, Saint Michael MN

Original Research by School Decision on St. Michael-albertville Middle East

St. Michael-Albertville Middle East serves students in grades five through eight and is one of two middle schools in the St. Michael-Albertville district, a system that has grown rapidly alongside the suburb it serves. Saint Michael itself is a car-dependent, family-oriented community northwest of the Twin Cities that has seen explosive growth over the past few decades, converting what was once farmland into residential subdivisions. The district opened a new high school to accommodate that growth and converted the former high school into Middle School West, leaving Middle School East at its own separate campus. The city’s motto, “A Great Place To Grow,” captures the environment parents are buying into: a suburban setting with a strong proportion of households with children and a median income well above national averages.

The school enrolls a large student body for its grade band, with most students identifying as white. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is modest. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available, so a parent should ask the school directly about those services.

On state assessments, Middle East posts mixed results that follow a pattern many parents will recognize. In English language arts, proficiency rates are solid across all tested grades, with the strongest showing at the fifth-grade level and a noticeable dip in seventh grade before rebounding in eighth. Math proficiency is lower across the board, though it is still above the midpoint among districts in Wright County. The strongest math result comes in eighth grade. Science results, which are tested only in fifth and eighth grades, are the softest spot: proficiency rates are below where a parent might want them. The state changed the science assessment in recent years, which complicates trend comparisons, but the current numbers are what they are. A family considering this school may want to ask the administration how the school supports students in science and math, especially during the middle school years when performance can slip.

The school does not have a graduation rate to report, as it serves only middle grades, and discipline and attendance data were not available in this profile. The comparison data places the school’s overall proficiency above the midpoint among all districts in Wright County, which is a useful signal for a parent weighing school options in the area.

Middle East is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not appear to receive Title I funding based on the available data. The housing market in the area reflects the community’s desirability: home values are above the state average and rents have been rising, making this a relatively expensive place to buy or rent. The broader economic context shows a stable national unemployment rate, and the local median household income is well positioned relative to national figures. For a family that values a large, conventional middle school in a growing suburban district with above-average academic performance relative to its county peers, Middle East fits the profile. The science scores and the mid-grade slide in reading and math are areas a conscientious parent will want to probe further.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 52% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 53% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 56% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 60% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 69% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 69% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 25% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolSt. Michael-Albertville Schools, 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 5Lower-income58%Higher-income76%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income71%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income60%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income65%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income62%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income57%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income60%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income68%32 pp gap