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6.4avg / 10

Saint Paul Public Schools School District

School District · Saint Paul, Minnesota

Students: 32,145
Teachers (FTE): 2,351
Estimated Scores: 1%

Avg Rating

6.4

out of 10

Schools

84

40 elem, 9 mid, 17 high

Enrollment

32,145

Student-Teacher Ratio

13.7:1

How this district compares

Minnesota rank

#180 of 389

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

+0.1

above Minnesota avg

Per-pupil spending

$21,634

+$7,026 vs Minnesota median

District size

32,145 students

Much larger than Minnesota median

The short answer

Saint Paul Public Schools ranks #180 of 389 Minnesota districts by overall school rating. Saint Paul Public Schools's schools with real test data average 6.4/10 across 67 schools. Its top-rated schools are Groveland Park Elementary (9.0/10), Chelsea Heights Elementary (9.0/10), and Horace Mann School (8.9/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Farnsworth Aerospace Lower

Rates 8.7/10 despite 87% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.7 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Saint Paul Public Schools schools.

Top-Rated Schools in Saint Paul Public Schools

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (67 of 84). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#SchoolRating
1Groveland Park Elementary9.0 / 10
2Chelsea Heights Elementary9.0 / 10
3Horace Mann School8.9 / 10
4St. Anthony Park Elementary8.8 / 10
5Farnsworth Aerospace Lower8.7 / 10
6Saint Paul Music Academy8.4 / 10
7Hamline Elementary School8.2 / 10
8Nokomis Montessori South Campus7.9 / 10
9Nokomis Montessori North Campus7.8 / 10
10Frost Lake Elementary School7.7 / 10

See all 84 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools serves 32,145 students across 102 schools in Minnesota's capital city. The district spans a wide range of neighborhoods and grade levels, giving families meaningful choices from early elementary through high school graduation.

Of the 102 schools, 68 carry a MySchoolScout ranking, averaging 6.5 out of 10 across the board. That mid-range average reflects real variation within the district — some schools cluster near that benchmark while a handful of standouts push well above it. Parents comparing options should look beyond the district average and evaluate individual schools closely, since the spread between the lowest and highest performers is significant.

The elementary tier produces the district's strongest scores. Groveland Park Elementary leads all 68 ranked schools with an 8.7 out of 10, the highest rating in the district. Horace Mann School follows at 8.5, and both The Heights Community School and St. Anthony Park Elementary earn 8.3. Four elementary schools clearing 8.0 in a single district is notable, and for parents prioritizing early-grades academics, these four represent the top tier of what Saint Paul Public Schools has to offer. Highland Park Senior High earns an 8.2, making it the district's top-rated secondary school and one of the stronger high school options in the metro region.

For families searching in Saint Paul, the data points to a clear pattern: the district's highest performers are concentrated at the elementary level, with Highland Park standing out as the secondary option for parents who want a school with above-average ratings. With 32,145 students and over 100 schools, the district is large enough that location, program focus, and individual school performance all matter more than district-wide averages. Use the per-school ratings on MySchoolScout to shortlist schools by neighborhood and grade level, then dig into each school's profile before making a final call.

District Map

Schools in Saint Paul Public Schools, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency31.7%
School
State
Not reported
ELA Proficiency36.8%
School
State
Not reported

Average proficiency across all schools in Saint Paul Public Schools with test data.

Schools in Saint Paul Public Schools

84 schools
Elementary Schools40
Middle Schools9
High Schools17
Other Schools18

District Details

City
Saint Paul
Total Enrollment
32,145
Teachers (FTE)
2,351
District spending per student
$21,634NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
Child poverty rate
16.0%Census SAIPE · 2024
District directory year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Saint Paul Public Schools?

Saint Paul Public Schools has 84 schools in total — 40 elementary, 9 middle, and 17 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Saint Paul Public Schools?

The average composite rating for Saint Paul Public Schools is 6.4/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the district spending per student in Saint Paul Public Schools?

Saint Paul Public Schools's district-level spending was $21,634 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Saint Paul Public Schools?

The average student-teacher ratio in Saint Paul Public Schools is 13.7:1.

What is the top-rated school in Saint Paul Public Schools?

Chelsea Heights Elementary is the highest-rated school in Saint Paul Public Schools with a composite score of 9.0/10.

What are the test scores in Saint Paul Public Schools?

Across schools in Saint Paul Public Schools with test data, the average math proficiency is 31.7% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 36.8%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Saint Paul Public Schools compare to other districts in Minnesota?

Saint Paul Public Schools has an average school rating of 6.4/10 across 84 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in Minnesota by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
6.4/10
Math Proficiency
31.7%
ELA Proficiency
36.8%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, Minnesota Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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