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STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville

Public, Charter Grades 6-10

438^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 546 Minnesota Middle Schools

Better than 20% of Minnesota middle schools

Summary

STEP Academy 6-12 – Burnsville is a small public charter school in Burnsville, Minnesota, serving 96 students in grades 6–10 as part of the STEP Academy district. In 2025–2026 it ranked 438th of 546 Minnesota middle schools — the 20th percentile, or 1 star — continuing a mild downward trend from 393rd of 519 in 2024–2025 and 392nd of 545 in 2023–2024. Because enrollment is so small, a single student can shift a grade-level proficiency rate by several points, so year-to-year figures should be read with caution.

Math is the clearest weakness: all-grade math proficiency was 9%, compared with 13.8% for the district and 44.9% statewide, and it is the lowest among nearby schools with reported data. That is down from 19.23% in 2023–2024. Reading was 35.3%, essentially matching the district's 35.1% but well below the state's 48.6%, while science was 7.9%. Eighth-grade science proficiency was 0% versus 16.7% statewide, and 10th-grade reading was 22.2%. Nearby comparisons are stark: STEP trails Compass Academy Secondary (23.6% math), Joseph Nicollet Middle School (24.8%), and Eagle Ridge Middle School (23.4%) in math, and sits far below Century Middle School (59.9%), Falcon Ridge Middle (53.5%), and Kenwood Trail Middle School (57%).

The standout result is for English Language Learner students, where STEP ranked in the 99th percentile statewide in 2023–2024 and the 96th in 2024–2025 — strong evidence the school serves that group well even as overall results lag. Other subgroup rankings are generally near the bottom: students from low-income families fell to the 28th percentile in 2025–2026. Context is challenging: the 2024–2025 free/reduced-lunch rate was 96.88%, the highest among nearby schools, and the student-teacher ratio is 24.7, high compared with most nearby middle schools (typically 15.5–18.9). The 2024–2025 FRL figure also jumped sharply from 27.14% in 2023–2024, which may reflect reporting or population changes.

Students ?

24.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

96.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14450 Burnhaven Dr
Burnsville, MN 55306-8888

(651) 285-1920

District: STEP Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

100.0%

See top rated Minnesota middle schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2024 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (21% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2024

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg22%

Minnesota avg43%

438^th of 546

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 8 pts since 2024

From bottom 28% (2024) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle 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	22.2	438 of 546	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.6	393 of 519	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	392 of 545	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	114 of 185	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.7	62 of 169	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	57 of 179	68.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	82.7	6 of 153	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	2 of 158	98.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	374 of 467	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	368 of 450	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.0	280 of 474	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	329 of 458	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.4	225 of 432	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	308 of 473	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	363 of 483	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.1	305 of 452	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.9	404 of 479	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)96th percentile+72 vs school

African American (2026)38th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)25th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)20th percentile~ school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading35%-13 vs state

Math9%-36 vs state

Science8%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville

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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 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Total
STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville	Public, Charter	6-10	14450 Burnhaven Dr	Burnsville	55306	Dakota County	STEP Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 285-1920	96	4	24.7	96.9%	0 (0.0%)	96 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.2	438^th of 546 public middle schools	19.8%		29.6	393^rd of 519 public middle schools	24.3%	45	37.5	40.9	38.1	22.2	35.3	0.0	17.6	7.9	4.2	9.1	14.3	9.0
Joseph Nicollet Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	400 E 134th St	Burnsville	55337	Dakota County	Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(952) 707-2600	50	51	.9	56.0%	17 (34.0%)	17 (34.0%)	8 (16.0%)	4 (8.0%)	1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.0%)	29.5	406^th of 546 public middle schools	25.6%		24.5	414^th of 519 public middle schools	20.2%	8	42.6	25.2	33.6		34.2	6.0		6.0	32.7	16.5	23.8	24.8	$14,713
Universal Academy South Middle/High	Public, Charter	7-8	600 W Travelers Trl	Burnsville	55337	Dakota County	Universal Academy Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(651) 442-3124	11	1	18.9	81.8%	0 (0.0%)	11 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		20.0			16.7							18.8
Eagle Ridge Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	13955 Glendale Rd	Savage	55378	Scott County	Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(952) 707-2800	46	46	1.0	71.7%	9 (19.6%)	12 (26.1%)	16 (34.8%)	4 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.9%)	26.5	415^th of 546 public middle schools	24.0%		26.2	407^th of 519 public middle schools	21.6%	8	39.0	24.0	32.3		31.7	7.3		7.3	26.5	22.2	21.6	23.4	$13,684
Valley Middle School of STEM	Public	6-8	900 Garden View Dr	Apple Valley	55124	Dakota County	Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan	No	No	No	No	(952) 431-8300	1,090	69	15.8	44.7%	447 (41.0%)	246 (22.6%)	212 (19.4%)	47 (4.3%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (12.1%)	61.1	187^th of 546 public middle schools	65.8%		48.5	267^th of 519 public middle schools	48.6%	80	57.1	40.9	57.5		51.5	19.0		19.0	37.1	30.4	37.4	34.8	$12,751
Lakeville Online Academy-Middle	Public, Virtual	6-8	17630 Juniper Path	Lakeville	55044	Dakota County	Lakeville Area Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(952) 232-3900	50	3	16.1	24.0%	34 (68.0%)	5 (10.0%)	2 (4.0%)	2 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (14.0%)								(n/a)					45.8							20.8
Century Middle School	Public	6-8	18610 Ipava Ave	Lakeville	55044	Dakota County	Lakeville Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 232-2301	950	50	18.8	13.6%	614 (64.6%)	69 (7.3%)	47 (4.9%)	144 (15.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (7.7%)	89.4	33^rd of 546 public middle schools	94.0%		87.3	41^st of 519 public middle schools	92.1%	8	68.2	53.1	76.3		65.8	28.4		28.4	52.9	51.7	75.4	59.9	$10,910
Compass Academy Secondary	Public, Charter	6-8	10640 Lyndale Ave S	Bloomington	55420	Hennepin County	New Century School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(952) 600-9250	47	1	47.0	83.0%	0 (0.0%)	47 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.1	427^th of 546 public middle schools	21.8%					(n/a)	33.3	28.0	25.0		29.2	5.0		5.0	22.2	28.0	20.0	23.6
Oak Grove Middle	Public	6-8	1300 W 106th St	Bloomington	55431	Hennepin County	Bloomington Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 681-6600	711	46	15.5	37.6%	350 (49.2%)	114 (16.0%)	127 (17.9%)	38 (5.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (10.8%)	56.4	222^nd of 546 public middle schools	59.3%		49.4	262^nd of 519 public middle schools	49.5%	40	50.2	44.3	39.2		44.5	15.1		15.1	34.4	44.3	38.3	39.2	$15,707
Kenwood Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	19455 Kenwood Tr	Lakeville	55044	Dakota County	Lakeville Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(952) 232-3800	854	54	15.7	23.3%	561 (65.7%)	64 (7.5%)	111 (13.0%)	43 (5.0%)	7 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (7.8%)	82.6	63^rd of 546 public middle schools	88.5%		81.4	68^th of 519 public middle schools	86.9%	5	62.9	54.3	58.5		58.5	19.6		19.6	47.8	56.7	67.3	57.0	$12,649

Frequently Asked Questions about STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville

What district is STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville in?

STEP Academy

What is the racial makeup of STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville?

Students at STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville are 100% African American.

How many students attend STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville?

In the 2024-25 school year, 96 students attended STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville.

Is STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville a good school?

STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville ranks in the bottom 19.8% of Minnesota middle schools.

Rate STEP Academy 6-12 - Burnsville!

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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.