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Step Academy Charter School

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

Summary

Step Academy Charter School is a public charter high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 374 students. The school is part of the STEP Academy district, which is ranked 384 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Step Academy consistently ranks in the bottom half of Minnesota high schools, with a ranking between 245-477 out of 450-492 schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on MCA-III assessments is significantly below the state averages in both math and reading proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 10.49% of Step Academy students were proficient or better in MCA-III Math, compared to the state average of 45.21%. In reading, Step Academy's proficiency rate was 42.56%, while the state average was 49.59%. However, the school performs relatively well in certain student subgroups, such as African American students and English Language Learners, compared to other Minnesota high schools.

Step Academy's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 83.3% and 95.5% over the past few years, which is generally on par with the state average. The school's dropout rate has also varied, ranging from 0% to 4.5% in recent years. Step Academy serves a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 65.78% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than the state average and the nearby Saint Paul Public Schools district, where nearby schools like Johnson Senior High, Leap High School, and Harding Senior High have a range of 69.6% to 87.5% free or reduced-price lunch recipients.

366

Students ?

22.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,333

Per pupil spending ?

92.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

835 5th St E
Saint Paul, MN 55106-8888

(651) 289-6120

District: STEP Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.9%

White:

0.3%

Asian:

0.3%

See top rated Minnesota public schools

Compare Step Academy Charter School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2014 → 49th in 2024

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (85%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (29% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Math scores 35 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg27%

Minnesota avg47%

418^th of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

384^th of 446STEP 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	418 of 519	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.0	377 of 545	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.2	331 of 529	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	336 of 520	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.8	400 of 521	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	380 of 533	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.5	324 of 518	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.6	331 of 523	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.1	322 of 508	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.9	422 of 516	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.3	391 of 490	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	98 of 169	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.0	46 of 179	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	38 of 164	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	35 of 162	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	58.0	50 of 141	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.4	39 of 148	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	85.5	12 of 137	91.2%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	57.8	37 of 153	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	89.8	4 of 158	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	68.5	16 of 133	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	71.3	11 of 130	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	66.7	12 of 102	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	5 of 120	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	97.1	2 of 109	98.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	374 of 450	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	375 of 474	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.8	285 of 455	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	320 of 467	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.7	301 of 443	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	338 of 439	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	326 of 436	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	289 of 432	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.5	227 of 473	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	135 of 404	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.3	192 of 399	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.8	146 of 415	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.2	65 of 401	83.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	365 of 452	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.5	314 of 479	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	317 of 464	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.0	329 of 476	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.0	391 of 437	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	337 of 454	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.2	215 of 438	50.9%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	52.7	245 of 480	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.3	415 of 476	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	363 of 472	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.8	338 of 428	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.1	257 of 492	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.3	303 of 494	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.4	344 of 489	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.5	348 of 489	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.6	371 of 504	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	44.8	314 of 483	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	70.4	26 of 109	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	31.7	67 of 98	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	41 of 102	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.8	21 of 68	69.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.5	9 of 103	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	85.9	12 of 106	88.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	81.6	8 of 102	92.2%	★★★★★
2023	72.5	12 of 90	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	38.1	53 of 87	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.4	7 of 47	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	54.4	27 of 85	68.2%	★★★★☆
2018	92.8	5 of 78	93.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	59.0	172 of 403	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	16.6	347 of 396	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	321 of 388	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.1	248 of 339	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.6	259 of 401	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.9	267 of 395	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	64.4	120 of 389	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.1	209 of 312	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.3	119 of 270	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.2	70 of 370	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	110 of 374	70.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	32.9	290 of 405	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	378 of 398	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	341 of 403	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	309 of 351	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.5	188 of 411	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.9	289 of 398	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

English Language Learner (2025)76th percentile+56 vs school

African American (2025)42nd percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile~ school

Female (2025)17th percentile-3 vs school

High school

English Language Learner (2024)92nd percentile+43 vs school

African American (2024)76th percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)69th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2024)57th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2024)28th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading43%-7 vs state

Math10%-35 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 13, 2014

excellent for Magnet students. Close Quote

Schools Near Step Academy Charter School

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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 (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 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Step Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	835 5th St E	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	STEP Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 289-6120	366	16	22.8	92.1%	1 (0.3%)	362 (98.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	0.0	4.3	25.0		10.5	33.3	21.3	46.2	61.7	42.6	$17,333
HOPE Community Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	720 Payne Ave	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	Hope Community Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 796-4500	124	7	17.1	85.5%	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.6%)	115 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)								(n/a)				25.0	25.0				22.2	22.2
Leap High School	Public	9-12	740 York Ave	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 228-7706	220	13	17.5	61.8%	0 (0.0%)	33 (15.0%)	132 (60.0%)	55 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8	427^th of 450 public high schools	5.1%		3.3	477^th of 480 public high schools	0.6%	50				10.7	10.7				0.0	0.0	$22,112
Alternative Learning Center Gateway to College	Public	8-12	740 York Ave	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 403-4452	107	3	31.4	68.2%	12 (11.2%)	40 (37.4%)	21 (19.6%)	14 (13.1%)	6 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (13.1%)								(n/a)											$13,563
City Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	958 Jessie St	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	City Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(651) 298-4624	135	8	17.1	87.4%	14 (10.4%)	42 (31.1%)	20 (14.8%)	39 (28.9%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (13.3%)								(n/a)				0.0	0.0						$15,624
City Academy Online	Public, Charter	9-12	958 Jessie St	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	City Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 298-4624	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Face to Face Academy Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	1165 Arcade St	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Face To Face Academy	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(651) 772-5544	12	0		58.3%	8 (66.7%)	2 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Face To Face Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1165 Arcade St	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Face To Face Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 772-5544	83	7	11.6	79.5%	27 (32.5%)	37 (44.6%)	8 (9.6%)	6 (7.2%)	4 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	72.2	122^nd of 450 public high schools	72.9%		45.8	281^st of 480 public high schools	41.5%	159				36.8	36.8				58.3	58.3	$18,159
Community of Peace Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	471 Magnolia Ave E	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	Community Of Peace Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 280-4527	250	17	14.8	78.0%	15 (6.0%)	62 (24.8%)	73 (29.2%)	84 (33.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.4%)	29.9	340^th of 450 public high schools	24.4%		14.8	416^th of 480 public high schools	13.3%	76				16.3	16.3				37.5	37.5	$14,996
Twin Cities Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	690 Birmingham	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Twin Cities Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 205-4797	547	41	13.2	62.3%	82 (15.0%)	157 (28.7%)	177 (32.4%)	99 (18.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.7%)	13.3	401^st of 450 public high schools	10.9%		18.2	400^th of 480 public high schools	16.7%	1	5.1	12.1	18.6	11.5	12.6	26.8	27.4	34.8	16.7	26.2	$14,125

Frequently Asked Questions about Step Academy Charter School

What district is Step Academy Charter School in?

STEP Academy

What is the racial makeup of Step Academy Charter School?

Students at Step Academy Charter School are 99% African American.

How many students attend Step Academy Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 366 students attended Step Academy Charter School.

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.