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STEP Academy Elementary

Public, Charter Grades K-5

708^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

STEP Academy Elementary is a K–5 charter school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving 214 students as part of the STEP Academy district. In 2025–2026 it ranked 708 out of 869 Minnesota elementary schools — the 19th percentile, with 1 star — placing it in the bottom fifth of the state, though this was its best recent year, up from the 11th percentile in 2024–2025.

Among nearby schools, STEP stands out as the highest-ranked comparable: its 19th percentile is above Txuj Ci HMong Language & Culture Lo (12th), MMSA Elementary School (11th), and Daytons Bluff Elementary (10th). It also has the top all-grade reading proficiency (25.5%) and science proficiency (18.8%) in that group, while its math rate of 21.6% is more mixed. Results vary sharply by grade. Third grade is a relative strength, with 55.6% proficiency in math — close to the state's 57.9% — and 38.9% in reading. Fourth grade is a major weakness: 5.9% in math and 0.0% in reading. Fifth grade is split, with 0.0% in math but 37.5% in reading and 18.8% in science, both above the district.

Science is the clearest improvement, rising from about 4% in each of the two prior years to 18.8%, now above the STEP Academy district and higher than every nearby school reporting science data. Proficiency remains below state levels in math, reading, and science. The school's effectiveness rankings for some student groups, including English language learners and low-income students, are above its overall rank. About 94.39% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch in 2024–2025, and the student–teacher ratio improved to 11.2. Because enrollment is small, grade-level percentages can swing from year to year.

214

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$2,731

Per pupil spending ?

94.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

61.5%

Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (MMR)

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

(651) 289-6120

District: STEP Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

99.1%

White:

0.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2019 → 19th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Math scores 23 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg22%

Minnesota avg43%

708^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 4 pts since 2019

From bottom 15% (2019) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

368^th of 458STEP 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
2026	22.5	708 of 869	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	47.5	159 of 315	49.5%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	43.1	164 of 305	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	44.8	441 of 764	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
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)

African American (2026)50th percentile+31 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)46th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading26%-23 vs state

Math22%-23 vs state

Science19%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near STEP Academy Elementary

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)							MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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%)	22.5	708^th of 869 public elementary schools	18.5%		12.8	773^rd of 872 public elementary schools	11.4%	65	38.9	0.0	37.5				25.5	18.8		18.8	55.6	5.9	0.0				21.6	61.5%	0%	$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%)	11.6	782^nd of 869 public elementary schools	10.0%		8.9	799^th of 872 public elementary schools	8.4%	17	14.3	11.4	25.0				16.7	6.3		6.3	43.2	25.7	15.6				28.8	97.5%	0%	$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%)	6.4	823^rd of 869 public elementary schools	5.3%		7.6	815^th of 872 public elementary schools	6.5%	8	10.7	22.2	20.8				17.8	8.5		8.5	14.7	15.3	8.3				12.8	97.9%	0%	$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%)	5.7	831^st of 869 public elementary schools	4.4%		6.2	823^rd of 872 public elementary schools	5.6%	8	15.3	9.8	18.2	26.2	23.5	29.5	20.1	3.6	18.2	10.1	19.0	11.8	9.1	7.1	3.1	8.9	9.8	96.7%	3.3%	$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%)	13.4	766^th of 869 public elementary schools	11.9%		12.8	772^nd of 872 public elementary schools	11.5%	6	19.8	18.6					19.2				36.2	32.7					34.5	≥ 98%	0%	$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%)	8.5	810^th of 869 public elementary schools	6.8%		10.5	792^nd of 872 public elementary schools	9.2%	18	21.4	33.3	10.0	30.8			22.0	5.6		5.6	7.7	18.2	5.3	7.7			8.9			$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%)	2.6	862^nd of 869 public elementary schools	0.8%		2.8	862^nd of 872 public elementary schools	1.1%		10.3	10.3	7.6				9.4	0.0		0.0	12.1	5.9	1.5				6.3	89.2%	5.4%	$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%)	5.9	827^th of 869 public elementary schools	4.8%		3.5	851^st of 872 public elementary schools	2.4%	24	14.3	24.0					18.6				11.1	20.0					15.0	73%	0%	$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%)	8.9	805^th of 869 public elementary schools	7.4%		15.5	750^th of 872 public elementary schools	14.0%	55	21.0	20.3					20.6				25.9	22.8					24.4	94.3%	4.3%	$14,678

Frequently Asked Questions about STEP Academy Elementary

How many students attend STEP Academy Elementary?

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

What is the racial makeup of STEP Academy Elementary?

Students at STEP Academy Elementary are 99% African American.

Is STEP Academy Elementary a good school?

STEP Academy Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.5% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What district is STEP Academy Elementary in?

STEP Academy

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 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.