Urban Academy

Urban Academy is the sole public charter school serving grades PK-8 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a total enrollment of 445 students. The school has a highly diverse student population, with a majority of Asian students and significant representation of African American and other minority groups. However, Urban Academy is consistently underperforming academically, with proficiency rates in math, reading, and science significantly below the state averages across all grade levels.

Despite serving a student population where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high levels of economic disadvantage, Urban Academy has struggled to provide a high-quality education to its students. The school's math proficiency rates range from 17.24% in 6th grade to 39.29% in 8th grade, compared to the state averages of 39.65% to 59.1%. Similarly, the school's reading proficiency rates range from 22.86% in 4th grade to 48.28% in 6th grade, compared to the state averages of 47.42% to 58.73%. The school's science proficiency rates are particularly low, with only 18.92% in 5th grade and 3.57% in 8th grade, compared to the state averages of 48.41% and 27.6%, respectively.

The consistent underperformance of Urban Academy has resulted in a district rank of 349 out of 448 in Minnesota and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. This suggests that the school may be facing systemic challenges that need to be addressed to improve student outcomes and better serve the diverse and economically disadvantaged population it serves.