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Urban Academy

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

715^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Urban Academy is a PK–8 school in Saint Paul, MN that serves 416 students and operates as its own district; in 2025–2026 it ranks 715th out of 869 Minnesota schools (18th percentile, 1 star), continuing a long-running bottom-quartile pattern.

Proficiency trails the state in all three core subjects: math 30.1% vs. 44.9%, reading 29.0% vs. 48.6%, and science 12.2% vs. 25.5%. Several close neighbors — most in Saint Paul Public Schools — post far higher scores, including Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy (math 88.4%, reading 76.0%), Horace Mann School (70.7%, 71.6%), Randolph Heights Elementary (72.8%, 68.7%), and Nova Classical Academy Lower School (72.0%, 67.8%). Those schools serve far lower shares of low-income students (roughly 20–33% free/reduced lunch), compared with Urban Academy's 98.8% — the highest in the comparison group. Even so, Urban Academy slightly outpaces its nearest low-performing neighbor, Highland Park Elementary, in all three subjects, and edges Global Arts Plus Lower in math and reading. One caveat: Urban Academy serves PK–8 while most nearby comparisons end at grade 5 or 6, so all-grade averages aren't perfectly like-for-like.

Bright spots include the English Language Learner subgroup ranking, which reached 4 stars and the 70th percentile in 2025–2026 (5 stars, 96th percentile in 2023–2024) — by far the school's strongest result. The student-teacher ratio improved to 12.2, among the lowest nearby, and 8th grade math (58.3%) is above the state's 42.3%. Challenges: reading is below the state in every tested grade, with 3rd grade reading at 9.5% vs. the state's 46.8%, and 8th grade science at 4.2% vs. 16.7%. Reading and science also declined in the current year after earlier gains.

416

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,951

Per pupil spending ?

98.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1668 Montreal Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55116-8888

(651) 215-9419

District: Urban Academy

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

86.1%

African American:

10.1%

Hispanic:

1.2%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Urban Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (28% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Reading scores 20 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg28%

Minnesota avg43%

Elementary school

715^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

365^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 23 pts since 2021

From bottom 10% (2021) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

361^st of 458Urban 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	715 of 869	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.2	679 of 872	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	682 of 881	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	690 of 845	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	769 of 858	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.7	761 of 869	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	776 of 870	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	735 of 847	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.2	796 of 853	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.6	783 of 848	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.3	752 of 840	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	5.7	772 of 826	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.6	790 of 824	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.0	806 of 820	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.4	799 of 814	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.4	799 of 803	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.1	779 of 781	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.5	768 of 777	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.4	752 of 756	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	34.4	199 of 283	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	131 of 266	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	116 of 143	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	94 of 140	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	95 of 154	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	83 of 128	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.3	100 of 131	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	62 of 88	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.9	114 of 136	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	104 of 134	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	93 of 305	69.5%	★★★★☆
2025	68.5	47 of 303	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	12 of 303	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	68.2	48 of 276	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	51.3	105 of 256	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.3	53 of 175	69.7%	★★★★☆
2019	60.6	57 of 239	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.1	40 of 242	83.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	19.0	661 of 790	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	570 of 799	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	576 of 809	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.6	584 of 787	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	709 of 799	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.5	689 of 783	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	713 of 787	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	703 of 774	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	39.3	501 of 764	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.7	444 of 764	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	456 of 793	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	526 of 774	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.3	539 of 663	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.7	527 of 683	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	605 of 740	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	547 of 728	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	651 of 807	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	671 of 812	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	678 of 826	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	723 of 799	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.2	757 of 808	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.8	714 of 784	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	704 of 798	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	626 of 779	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	365 of 546	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.1	263 of 519	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	338 of 545	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	364 of 529	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.3	443 of 520	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	467 of 521	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	68 of 112	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	54 of 106	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.6	67 of 111	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	71 of 116	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.9	93 of 110	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	75 of 87	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	29 of 170	82.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.5	9 of 153	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	80.9	12 of 158	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	69.5	14 of 133	89.5%	★★★★★
2022	53.2	38 of 130	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	55.2	29 of 102	71.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	332 of 467	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	53.2	201 of 450	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.6	311 of 474	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	336 of 455	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	432 of 467	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	411 of 443	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	188 of 458	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.1	105 of 432	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	62.4	134 of 473	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	55.7	174 of 459	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.4	266 of 404	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	310 of 399	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	374 of 483	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.3	298 of 452	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	302 of 479	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	315 of 464	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	348 of 476	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	370 of 437	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2026)70th percentile+52 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2019)30th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)19th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)19th percentile~ school

Female (2026)16th percentile~ school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile+50 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+26 vs school

Asian (2026)39th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Math30%-15 vs state

Reading29%-20 vs state

Science12%-13 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★0

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2★0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Urban Academy is one of the few , if not the only school that actually care about not only the student but the family. Urban Academy knows how important home life plays into the students educational and social growth. They address both issues on a very personal and individual basis. You can feel the love when you walk into the school Close Quote

Schools Near Urban Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)							MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)							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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	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	Total
Urban Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1668 Montreal Ave	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Urban Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 215-9419	416	34	12.2	98.8%	4 (1.0%)	42 (10.1%)	5 (1.2%)	358 (86.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	21.1	715^th of 869 public elementary schools	17.7%		26.2	679^th of 872 public elementary schools	22.1%	36	9.5	36.4	24.0	37.5	36.7	37.5	29.0	20.0	4.2	12.2	16.7	39.4	40.0	15.6	23.3	58.3	30.1	$14,951
Highland Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 Saunders Ave	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8770	406	33	12.3	72.4%	84 (20.7%)	200 (49.3%)	44 (10.8%)	22 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.8%)	11.1	788^th of 869 public elementary schools	9.3%		11.5	779^th of 872 public elementary schools	10.7%	9	21.3	25.4	25.4				24.0	11.1		11.1	21.0	28.8	11.1				20.1	$22,201
Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	1845 Sheridan Ave W	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(651) 744-4770	431	26	16.4	33.2%	112 (26.0%)	27 (6.3%)	24 (5.6%)	151 (35.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (26.9%)	95.5	13^th of 869 public elementary schools	98.5%		94.4	16^th of 872 public elementary schools	98.2%	3	71.0	75.8	82.5				76.0	52.6		52.6	81.7	90.9	94.2				88.4	$14,078
St. Paul School of Northern Lights	Public, Charter	K-6	768 Hamline Ave S	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	St. Paul School of Northern Lights	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 285-4672	212	16	13.3	28.3%	142 (67.0%)	13 (6.1%)	23 (10.8%)	4 (1.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (13.2%)	30.2	640^th of 869 public elementary schools	26.4%		44.4	526^th of 872 public elementary schools	39.7%	114	33.3	46.4	60.5	28.1			42.7	18.4		18.4	24.2	42.3	15.8	16.7			23.6
Horace Mann School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Eleanor Ave	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 293-8965	445	25	17.8	19.6%	312 (70.1%)	32 (7.2%)	42 (9.4%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.0%)	90	44^th of 869 public elementary schools	94.9%		90.4	43^rd of 872 public elementary schools	95.1%	1	64.0	69.3	80.5				71.6	56.1		56.1	70.7	80.0	62.2				70.7	$14,581
Expo For Excellence Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	540 Warwick St	Saint Paul	55116	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 290-8384	393	36	10.9	45.3%	179 (45.5%)	132 (33.6%)	36 (9.2%)	14 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.9%)	46.3	504^th of 869 public elementary schools	42.0%		43.7	532^nd of 872 public elementary schools	39.0%	28	42.4	40.4	54.0				45.5	32.0		32.0	51.7	37.0	32.0				40.9	$13,805
Randolph Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	348 Hamline Ave S	Saint Paul	55105	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(651) 293-8780	448	24	18.8	25.9%	306 (68.3%)	47 (10.5%)	30 (6.7%)	14 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (11.2%)	87.9	58^th of 869 public elementary schools	93.3%		91.5	32^nd of 872 public elementary schools	96.3%	26	65.0	76.2	64.6				68.7	41.8		41.8	75.0	79.8	63.3				72.8	$13,333
Adams Magnet Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	615 Chatsworth St S	Saint Paul	55102	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(651) 298-1595	605	41	14.7	40.5%	217 (35.9%)	48 (7.9%)	281 (46.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.4%)	49.3	475^th of 869 public elementary schools	45.3%		45.3	517^th of 872 public elementary schools	40.7%	42	42.6	43.1	56.7				46.4	25.0		25.0	58.8	44.4	33.3				47.9	$14,389
Nova Classical Academy Lower School	Public, Charter	K-5	1455 Victoria Way	Saint Paul	55102	Ramsey County	Nova Classical Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 209-6320	485	35	13.8	23.5%	267 (55.1%)	83 (17.1%)	37 (7.6%)	62 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (7.0%)	85.9	86^th of 869 public elementary schools	90.1%		86.6	79^th of 872 public elementary schools	90.9%	7	58.2	67.1	77.8				67.8	36.3		36.3	70.9	74.7	70.4				72.0	$11,508
Groveland Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2045 St Clair Ave	Saint Paul	55105	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8760	409	27	14.9	38.4%	210 (51.3%)	84 (20.5%)	27 (6.6%)	40 (9.8%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (11.0%)	67.3	281^st of 869 public elementary schools	67.7%		75.1	207^th of 872 public elementary schools	76.3%	74	36.0	62.5	64.3				53.6	42.9		42.9	46.1	66.7	63.2				58.4	$15,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Urban Academy

What is the racial makeup of Urban Academy?

Students at Urban Academy are 86% Asian, 10% African American, 1% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Urban Academy in?

Urban Academy

How many students attend Urban Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 416 students attended Urban Academy.

Is Urban Academy a good school?

Urban Academy ranks in the bottom 17.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Rate Urban Academy!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresNewSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

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.