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HGA Junior High

Q: Is HGA Junior High a good school?

HGA Junior High ranks 336 th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 6-7

336^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 519 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 35% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

HGA Junior High is a public charter middle school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving grades 6-7 with a total enrollment of 178 students. The school is part of the Higher Ground Academy district, which is ranked 249 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

HGA Junior High has consistently lower proficiency rates in Math and Reading compared to the state average and the Higher Ground Academy district average. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rate in Math for all grades was 20.35%, compared to the state average of 45.21% and the district average of 38.09%. However, the school performs exceptionally well in certain student subgroups, ranking 33rd out of 169 Minnesota middle schools for African American students in Math and 16th out of 153 schools for English Language Learner students in Reading. Additionally, HGA Junior High has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 98.31% in the 2023-2024 school year, and a very high student-teacher ratio of 174.5 in the same year.

Compared to nearby schools, HGA Junior High performs significantly worse than Highland Park Middle School and Sanford Middle School in both Math and Reading proficiency, but outperforms the nearby Hmong College Prep Academy Middle School. The school's strong performance in certain subgroups, combined with its overall low performance and high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, suggests that it may be facing significant challenges in supporting the academic achievement of its student body as a whole, potentially due to resource constraints reflected in its high student-teacher ratio.

196

Students ?

73.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

93.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1381 Marshall Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55104-8888

(651) 645-1000

District: Higher Ground Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.3%

White:

6.6%

Asian:

1.0%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

Compare HGA Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2024 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (33% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Math scores 25 pts below the Minnesota average

!Large classes — about 73 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg42%

Minnesota avg47%

336^th of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▬ steady since 2024

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

249^th of 446Higher Ground Academy among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	336 of 519	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	354 of 545	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	72.8	33 of 169	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	42 of 179	76.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	68.2	16 of 153	89.5%	★★★★★
2024	80.7	13 of 158	91.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	335 of 450	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.6	318 of 474	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	144 of 432	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.7	180 of 473	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	275 of 452	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	350 of 479	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)90th percentile+54 vs school

African American (2025)80th percentile+45 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+31 vs school

Male (2025)39th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)26th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading46%-3 vs state

Math20%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near HGA Junior High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
HGA Junior High	Public, Charter	6-7	1381 Marshall Ave	Saint Paul	55104	Ramsey County	Higher Ground Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 645-1000	196	3	73.1	93.9%	13 (6.6%)	181 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37.7	336^th of 519 public middle schools	35.3%		36.4	354^th of 545 public middle schools	35.0%	18		18.9	22.0		20.4		47.8	44.4		46.2
Laura Jeffrey Academy Charter	Public, Charter	5-8	1550 Summit Ave	Saint Paul	55105	Ramsey County	Laura Jeffrey Academy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 414-6000	117	17	6.9	15.4%	72 (61.5%)	7 (6.0%)	16 (13.7%)	8 (6.8%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (11.1%)	73.8	115^th of 519 public middle schools	77.8%		84.7	51^st of 545 public middle schools	90.6%	64	23.1	25.8	38.2	54.6	34.5	80.8	64.5	67.6	95.5	75.0	$22,768
Hidden River Middle School	Public	6-8	631 Albert Street N	Saint Paul	55104	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8860	640	29	21.9	48.1%	262 (40.9%)	182 (28.4%)	57 (8.9%)	45 (7.0%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (14.1%)	51.7	241^st of 519 public middle schools	53.6%		33.2	376^th of 545 public middle schools	31.0%	135		42.7	28.6	32.3	35.4		50.9	37.9	44.8	45.0	$14,187
The Journey School Middle	Public, Charter	7-8	775 Lexington Parkway N	Saint Paul	55104	Ramsey County	The Journey School	Yes	No	No	No	(612) 389-1579	12	1	12.0	83.3%	0 (0.0%)	9 (75.0%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (16.7%)								(n/a)					0.0					0.0
Hmong College Prep Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	1515 Brewster St	Saint Paul	55108	Ramsey County	Hmong College Prep Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 209-8002	724	41	17.8	81.2%	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (1.0%)	703 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	8.9	488^th of 519 public middle schools	6.0%		11.5	498^th of 545 public middle schools	8.6%	10		8.1	11.1	11.6	10.3		22.8	19.7	16.9	19.8	$11,720
Global Arts Plus Upper	Public, Magnet	5-8	810 Palace Ave	Saint Paul	55102	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 293-8690	437	25	17.5	66.1%	119 (27.2%)	126 (28.8%)	91 (20.8%)	60 (13.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	38 (8.7%)	19.8	433^rd of 519 public middle schools	16.6%		14.6	482^nd of 545 public middle schools	11.6%	49	19.8	24.6	12.4	8.3	16.5	23.9	37.2	22.8	31.3	29.3	$17,217
Avalon Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	700 Glendale Street	Saint Paul	55114	Ramsey County	Avalon School	Yes	No	No	No	(651) 649-5795	75	7	10.1	29.3%	43 (57.3%)	7 (9.3%)	11 (14.7%)	2 (2.7%)	2 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (13.3%)	50.3	255^th of 519 public middle schools	50.9%		47.5	286^th of 545 public middle schools	47.5%	31		36.4	34.8	29.2	33.3		45.5	54.2	36.0	45.1	$9,584
St. Paul Northern Lights Secondary	Public, Charter	7-8	768 Hamline Ave S	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	St. Paul School of Northern Lights	Yes	No	No	No	(651) 285-4672	15	2	8.1	20.0%	11 (73.3%)	1 (6.7%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (13.3%)								(n/a)					20.0					46.7
St. Paul City Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	215 University Ave W	Saint Paul	55103	Ramsey County	St. Paul City School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 225-9177	150	8	20.0	88.0%	6 (4.0%)	32 (21.3%)	75 (50.0%)	25 (16.7%)	3 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.0%)	4.6	510^th of 519 public middle schools	1.7%		5.3	528^th of 545 public middle schools	3.1%	18		6.0	4.3	4.3	4.9		16.0	13.3	8.3	12.6	$13,409
Highland Park Middle School	Public	6-8	975 Snelling Ave S	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8950	811	42	19.4	48.2%	284 (35.0%)	134 (16.5%)	246 (30.3%)	52 (6.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	90 (11.1%)	44.3	291^st of 519 public middle schools	43.9%		41	329^th of 545 public middle schools	39.6%	38		29.5	28.4	23.1	27.1		51.0	41.3	43.7	45.5	$13,758

Frequently Asked Questions about HGA Junior High

What is the racial makeup of HGA Junior High?

Students at HGA Junior High are 92% African American, 7% White, 1% Asian.

What district is HGA Junior High in?

Higher Ground Academy

How many students attend HGA Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 196 students attended HGA Junior High.

Is HGA Junior High a good school?

HGA Junior High ranks 336^th of 519 Minnesota middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate HGA Junior High!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.