Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy

Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion Academy is a K–5 Mandarin immersion elementary school with 431 students, located at 1845 Sheridan Ave W in Saint Paul's Highland Park area and serving families as part of Saint Paul Public Schools, one of the larger elementary enrollments in its immediate neighborhood.

The headline numbers are extraordinary. For 2025–2026, Jie Ming ranks 13th of 869 Minnesota schools — the 99th percentile with 5 stars — even though its own district ranks 346th of 458 districts statewide. That ranking is not a one-year spike: in every year on record the school has been at or above the 98th percentile, with 5 stars each time. In 2025–26, 88.4% of students met standards in math, 76.0% in reading, and 52.6% in science, compared with district rates of 27.8%, 34.2%, and 19.0%. It outperforms every nearby school compared here, including Horace Mann School (44th statewide), Randolph Heights Elementary (58th), Mendota Elementary (131st), Groveland Park Elementary, EXPO for Excellence Elementary School, St. Paul School of Northern Lights, Urban Academy, and Highland Park Elementary (9th percentile).

Results climb with grade level — math rises from 81.7% in 3rd grade to 94.2% in 5th, reading from 71.0% to 82.5% — which fits an immersion model where skills accumulate. Science is the clear weak spot at 52.6%, down across four years, though the state's science scores fell sharply over the same period, suggesting an assessment change rather than a school-specific collapse. Notably, Jie Ming's low-income share (33.18%) is higher than several schools it beats, and its low-income and English-learner groups rank among the state's top few percent — evidence of school effectiveness rather than an advantaged intake. One caveat: as an immersion magnet drawing students citywide, its comparison with neighborhood schools is not strictly apples-to-apples.