Original Research by School Decision on Como Park Senior High
Como Park Senior High is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is part of the Saint Paul Public Schools district, the school system that serves the state’s capital and second-largest city. Saint Paul is a dense, diverse urban center with a mix of government, commercial, and residential neighborhoods, anchored by the Mississippi River and the Minnesota State Capitol complex. The city is home to a large Hmong community, alongside significant Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White populations. Publicly reported information from the locale brief notes the city’s park system is highly ranked nationally, and major employers include state and county government. Housing in the area around the school sits at a value below the state benchmark, and rents have been rising, placing the school in a relatively more affordable corner of the Twin Cities metro market.
The school enrolls a large student body for a single high school within the district. The student population is highly diverse. Asian students and Black students each make up roughly a third of the enrollment, White students make up close to a fifth, and the remainder includes students who are Hispanic/Latino, two or more races, or American Indian/Alaska Native. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need in the school community. Data on the share of students with an individualized education program or those learning English was not available; a parent may want to follow up with the school directly on those counts.
In terms of academic performance, the most recent state testing data covers a single school year. On the English language arts assessment, more than a quarter of students met or exceeded standards. In math, the proficiency rate was markedly lower, falling just under a tenth of students. These results place the school’s overall academic picture at a low level, which is the kind of figure a parent would want to weigh carefully. The data available for comparison to other Ramsey County districts was not applicable at the school level, so a district-level comparative placement is not possible from this data. The school is a comprehensive high school in a major urban district, and its test results are consistent with a setting where many students face economic barriers.
Como Park Senior High offers a standard high school grade span, and as a regular public school it serves its attendance area within Saint Paul’s public school system. No data was provided on course offerings, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs, career and technical education pathways, or dual-credit opportunities. A parent interested in the breadth of academic pathways at the school would need to seek that information from the school’s website or the district’s program catalog. Similarly, information on staffing ratios, teacher experience, and discipline outcomes was not available in the provided data.
The district has made several recent changes that may be relevant to families considering Como Park. Saint Paul Public Schools opened a new middle school focused on environmental STEM, located in a nearby suburb, which could be a feeder option for some students in the district. The district also converted an elementary school into a magnet focused on East African culture, and renamed one of its middle schools. These changes reflect a district that is actively adjusting its school portfolio and offerings, though they do not directly alter the profile of Como Park itself.
The graduation rate for the school was not included in the provided data, so it is not possible to speak to how many students complete high school here. For a parent or resident trying to get a complete picture of Como Park Senior High, the core takeaway is a large, economically diverse urban high school in the capital city, where state test results are low, particularly in math, and where several key metrics—special education and English learner demographics, program offerings, staffing, discipline, and graduation rate—are simply not present in this data. That makes direct follow-up with the school essential for any family considering enrollment.
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