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STEP Academy Elementary

Public, Charter Grades K-5

773^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

STEP Academy Elementary is a public charter elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving 229 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the STEP Academy district, which is ranked 384 out of 446 districts in the state.

STEP Academy Elementary has consistently performed poorly on state assessments, with proficiency rates well below the state and local averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's math and reading proficiency rates were 18.49% and 29.75%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 45.21% and 49.59%. When compared to nearby schools like Txuj Ci HMong Language & Culture Lo (31.74% math proficiency) and Daytons Bluff Elementary (25% math proficiency), STEP Academy Elementary's academic performance is significantly lower.

The school serves a high percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 60.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.5 to 16.5 students per teacher over the past three school years, the school has struggled to effectively educate its diverse student population. Addressing the root causes of the school's persistent underperformance, such as through targeted professional development, curriculum revisions, or partnerships with community organizations, may be necessary to improve student outcomes.

214

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$2,731

Per pupil spending ?

94.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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

(651) 289-6120

District: STEP Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

99.1%

White:

0.9%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare STEP Academy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2019 → 11th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (24% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Math scores 27 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg27%

Minnesota avg47%

773^rd of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 3 pts since 2019

From bottom 15% (2019) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	773 of 872	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	776 of 881	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	725 of 845	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	717 of 858	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.1	784 of 869	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	742 of 870	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	39.0	182 of 298	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	197 of 310	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	138 of 279	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.4	129 of 282	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.5	154 of 227	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.5	116 of 283	59.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	136 of 303	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.4	72 of 303	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	49.4	123 of 276	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	72 of 256	71.9%	★★★★☆
2021	52.5	66 of 175	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	73 of 239	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	720 of 799	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	666 of 809	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	625 of 787	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	673 of 799	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	737 of 783	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	670 of 787	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	614 of 764	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	631 of 793	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.8	447 of 663	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.8	565 of 683	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	507 of 740	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	697 of 812	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	753 of 826	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	713 of 799	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	684 of 808	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	699 of 784	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	685 of 798	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)55th percentile+44 vs school

African American (2025)39th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading30%-20 vs state

Math18%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near STEP Academy Elementary

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 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	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	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
STEP Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	835 5th St E	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	STEP Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 289-6120	214	19	11.2	94.4%	2 (0.9%)	212 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.8	773^rd of 872 public elementary schools	11.4%		12.4	776^th of 881 public elementary schools	11.9%	3	28.1	18.9	12.0				18.5	21.9	23.7	39.2				29.8	$2,731
Daytons Bluff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	262 Bates Ave	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8915	301	26	11.5	83.1%	37 (12.3%)	117 (38.9%)	40 (13.3%)	62 (20.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (15.0%)	8.9	799^th of 872 public elementary schools	8.4%		12.8	773^rd of 881 public elementary schools	12.3%	26	39.0	17.2	14.7				25.0	9.5	13.8	17.7				13.3	$18,892
HOPE Community Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	720 Payne Ave	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	Hope Community Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 796-4500	434	51	8.5	89.2%	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	9 (2.1%)	405 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	7.6	815^th of 872 public elementary schools	6.5%		4.9	842^nd of 881 public elementary schools	4.4%	27	20.3	24.3	15.0				19.7	10.9	16.2	25.6				18.2	$14,114
American Indian Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	1075 3rd St E	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 778-3100	571	43	13.3	84.2%	30 (5.3%)	61 (10.7%)	127 (22.2%)	143 (25.0%)	81 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	129 (22.6%)	6.2	823^rd of 872 public elementary schools	5.6%		4.7	846^th of 881 public elementary schools	4.0%	23	13.0	14.0	14.6	8.2	13.6	2.4	10.9	11.4	9.8	29.4	19.7	25.5	20.0	19.4	$17,042
Txuj Ci HMong Language & Culture Lo	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-4	1089 Cypress St	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 293-8935	638	56	11.2	78.1%	8 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	21 (3.3%)	591 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.5%)	12.8	772^nd of 872 public elementary schools	11.5%		23.8	698^th of 881 public elementary schools	20.8%	74	33.3	30.3					31.7	17.1	23.5					20.4	$16,185
LIFE Prep	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	930 Geranium Ave East	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Life Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 793-6624	134	10	13.4	89.6%	8 (6.0%)	75 (56.0%)	11 (8.2%)	26 (19.4%)	6 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.0%)	10.5	792^nd of 872 public elementary schools	9.2%		8.1	809^th of 881 public elementary schools	8.2%	17	23.1	3.7	7.1	0.0			7.7	40.0	11.1	42.9	0.0			22.4	$15,084
Bruce F Vento Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	409 Case Ave E	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(651) 293-8685	446	39	11.4	87.0%	41 (9.2%)	167 (37.4%)	60 (13.5%)	140 (31.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.8%)	2.8	862^nd of 872 public elementary schools	1.1%		3.4	860^th of 881 public elementary schools	2.4%	2	8.5	5.9	1.5				5.3	12.9	1.5	22.1				12.1	$18,990
Community of Peace Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	471 Magnolia Ave E	Saint Paul	55130	Ramsey County	Community Of Peace Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(651) 280-4579	326	28	11.7	81.6%	18 (5.5%)	108 (33.1%)	85 (26.1%)	85 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.2%)	3.5	851^st of 872 public elementary schools	2.4%		4.6	847^th of 881 public elementary schools	3.9%	4	14.9	10.4					12.6	10.6	14.6					12.6	$15,690
Water Lily Montessori	Public, Charter	PK-K	499 Wacouta St	Saint Paul	55101	Ramsey County	Minnesota Wildflower Montessori School	Yes	No	No	No	(651) 227-7483	3	1	3.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (33.3%)	2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Farnsworth Aerospace Lower	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-4	1290 Arcade St	Saint Paul	55106	Ramsey County	Saint Paul Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(651) 293-8675	466	35	13.3	84.1%	49 (10.5%)	101 (21.7%)	41 (8.8%)	246 (52.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.8%)	15.5	750^th of 872 public elementary schools	14.0%		8.1	808^th of 881 public elementary schools	8.3%	58	36.7	25.3					30.5	20.5	29.5					25.4	$14,678

Frequently Asked Questions about STEP Academy Elementary

Is STEP Academy Elementary a good school?

STEP Academy Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.4% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of STEP Academy Elementary?

Students at STEP Academy Elementary are 99% African American.

How many students attend STEP Academy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 214 students attended STEP Academy Elementary.

What district is STEP Academy Elementary in?

STEP Academy

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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.