The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Highwood Hills Elementary
Highwood Hills Elementary is a regular public school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Saint Paul Public Schools. It is a neighborhood school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is small for an elementary school in an urban district. The school sits in the eastern part of Saint Paul, in an area where the housing stock is a mix of modest single-family homes and rentals. Home values in the zip code are below the state average, and rents are comparatively moderate, reflecting a neighborhood that is affordable by Twin Cities standards.
The student body is diverse and predominantly low-income. A very large share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school among the highest-poverty elementary schools in the district. Racially and ethnically, the student population is majority non-white, with the largest groups being Black students and Asian students—the latter includes a substantial Hmong community, consistent with Saint Paul’s broader demographics. Hispanic students also make up a notable portion, while White students are a small minority. English learner and special education counts were not reported in the available data, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports available.
On state assessments, Highwood Hills’ proficiency rates are low across all tested grades and subjects. In math, the share of students meeting standards is around one in ten, with slightly better results in fifth grade than in third. In reading, the pattern is similar, though fifth-grade reading proficiency is notably higher than the lower grades, approaching one in three. Fifth-grade science results also show a small share proficient. The school’s overall proficiency index ranks in the bottom quartile among elementary schools in Ramsey County. Only one year of state testing data was available, so there is no trend to examine, but the single snapshot paints a clear picture of a school where the vast majority of students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
The surrounding community of Saint Paul is a mid-sized capital city with a strong civic and governmental presence, a well-regarded park system, and a mix of older neighborhoods and recent sports-venue development. The district itself has been introducing new specialized magnet options, including an E-STEM middle school and an East African Elementary magnet, which may give families additional choices beyond their neighborhood school. However, Highwood Hills itself does not appear to offer a distinct magnet or special program focus based on the data available.
For a family considering this school, the primary takeaway is that Highwood Hills serves a high-poverty population and that its academic performance, as measured by state tests, is far below the county median. That does not mean the school lacks dedicated staff or programs—the data simply does not cover those dimensions—but it does mean that a parent would want to look into what interventions, tutoring, or enrichment the school provides to support students who are behind. Families with the ability to consider magnet or charter options in Saint Paul may find schools with stronger academic outcomes. For those committed to the neighborhood, the school’s small size and diverse student body may be appealing, but the academic challenge is real and worth investigating directly with the principal or teaching staff.
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