SET Academy Middle

SET Academy Middle is a public charter middle school in Minneapolis, Minnesota that serves 150 students in grades 6-8, with an overwhelmingly high percentage of African American students ranging from 98.67% to 100% over the past few years.

Academically, SET Academy Middle has struggled, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of Minnesota middle schools with proficiency rates on state tests well below state and district averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 21.82% of students were proficient in Math and 42.11% were proficient in Reading, compared to state averages of 45.47% and 49.85% respectively. However, the school performs relatively well for certain student subgroups, such as ranking 37th out of 179 Minnesota middle schools for African American students in Math and 8th out of 158 for English Language Learners in Math. The school also serves a very low-income student population, with over 97% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Compared to nearby schools like Hiawatha College Prep - Kingfield, Venture Academy Middle School, and Northeast Middle, which have more diverse student populations and generally perform better academically, SET Academy Middle's struggles suggest the school may need to implement more comprehensive and sustained improvement strategies to address its challenges, which likely stem from the significant socioeconomic factors facing its student community.