Open World Learning Secondary, Saint Paul MN

Original Research by School Decision on Open World Learning Secondary

Open World Learning Secondary is a regular public school in Saint Paul, part of the Saint Paul Public Schools district, serving grades six through twelve. It sits inside the city, not in a suburb or on a separate campus, and it operates as a neighborhood-accessible option rather than a magnet or charter. The school is small for a seven-grade span, and that modest enrollment shapes the day-to-day experience: students likely know one another across grade levels, and class sizes are manageable.

State testing data is reported for grades six through eight in math and reading, and for eighth-grade science. Overall, the school’s proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile when compared with other districts in Ramsey County. That is a real strength. Reading scores are solid: in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, the share of students meeting state standards is comfortably above half. Math proficiency varies. Eighth-grade math is at a similar level, but sixth-grade math lags behind by a noticeable margin, a soft spot a parent may want to ask about. Eighth-grade science results are low, and it is worth noting that Minnesota changed the science assessment and its cut scores that year, so the data may not be directly comparable to prior years; the school would be the best source for context on that dip.

The school serves a diverse student body. About half of students are White, with the rest a mix of students who are Hispanic, Asian, Black, two or more races, or American Indian. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. No data was available on the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent interested in those supports should ask directly. The school environment data, including discipline and attendance rates, was also not reported in the available records.

Saint Paul is Minnesota’s capital, an urban center with government employment, cultural institutions, and a strong park system. Housing in the school’s zip code is moderately priced relative to the state and nation, though rents have been rising noticeably. The school is located on Humboldt Avenue, within the city’s West Side neighborhood, an older residential area with a mix of housing stock. The commute from other parts of Saint Paul or neighboring suburbs is typical for the metro area; the Green Line light rail runs through the city, though the school’s specific transit access is not detailed in the data.

The parent district, Saint Paul Public Schools, has been active in reshaping its offerings. Recent moves include opening a new environmental STEM magnet middle school in Woodbury, converting an elementary into an East African Elementary Magnet, and renaming Ramsey Middle School to Hidden River Middle School. Open World Learning Secondary does not appear to have been affected by those changes directly, but families considering the district should be aware that the magnet landscape is shifting.

A notable gap: no state testing results were provided for high school grades, and no graduation rate was available. Minnesota tests high school students in select subjects, but those data points are missing here. That makes it impossible to assess academic performance in grades nine through twelve or to gauge how well the school prepares students for graduation. A family weighing this school for a high school student would want to request those numbers directly from the school. Similarly, information on course offerings, Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career pathways was absent, so a parent interested in postsecondary readiness will need to follow up.

Open World Learning Secondary presents as a solid middle-grades option within Saint Paul, with reading proficiency that stands up well countywide, math that has a soft spot in sixth grade, and a small, diverse student body. Its high school profile is essentially undocumented in the available data, which leaves the biggest questions unanswered for anyone considering it for the upper grades.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 62 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

649 schools plotted. 88 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 22% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 22% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 20% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 36% · ▲ 27 pts above district

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

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 31% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 33% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Science

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 10% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolSaint Paul Public 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 6Lower-income33%Higher-income74%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income78%49 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income79%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income40%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income69%44 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income60%24 pp gap