Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 55116

Zip code 55116 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has two middle schools: Highland Park Middle School, serving grades 6–8 with 811 students in Saint Paul Public Schools, and St. Paul Northern Lights Secondary, serving grades 7–8 with 15 students in St. Paul School of Northern Lights. Both districts rank low statewide: Saint Paul Public Schools is 346th of 458 districts (24th percentile, 1 star), and St. Paul School of Northern Lights is 357th of 458 (22nd percentile, 1 star). A dash (—) means the state suppressed a figure to protect privacy; it is unknown, not zero or a weakness.

The larger school, Highland Park Middle School, has the stronger, more complete profile. In 2025–26, its all-grade Reading proficiency was 47.4%, above its district’s 34.2% and only 1.2 points below the state’s 48.6%. Its 8th grade Science result was 20.2%, above the district’s 11.9% and the state’s 16.7%. Its rank improved from 329/545 (40th percentile, 2 stars) in 2023–24 to 234/546 (57th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–26, while its district remains at the 24th percentile. Math is a relative weakness: all-grade Math was 31.3%, above the district’s 27.8% but 13.6 points below the state’s 44.9%.

In contrast, St. Paul Northern Lights Secondary stands out mainly for its small size and low student-teacher ratio: 15 students, a ratio of 8.1, and a free/reduced-lunch rate of 20%, compared with 811 students, 19.4, and 48.21% at the larger school. In 2025–26, its all-grade Math was 29.6%, above its district’s 24.7% but below the state’s 44.9%; all-grade Reading was 40.7%, below both its district’s 42.4% and the state’s 48.6%. Science and grade-8 math, reading, and science were suppressed. Year over year, its all-grade math rose from 20% to 29.6%, while reading fell from 46.67% to 40.7%. With only 15 students, one student represents roughly 6–7 percentage points, so these shifts are volatile. Direct comparisons are limited, but the larger school shows stronger reading, a notable 8th grade science result, and an improving rank, while the second school has a much smaller, lower-ratio, lower-poverty profile with insufficient data for strong academic claims.