South Minneapolis Schools (St. Paul, Grant, Welcome: new home, neighborhoods, private school tuition)

[veetzvino]

What can you tell me about the high schools and middle schools here? Do people send their kids to private schools or are the minneapolis schools good? Also curious about athletics. Thanks!

[golfgal]

I guess it depends on how you define "good". If good means "diverse" as it does for so many people here, they are great schools. If you want something with more than a 48% graduation rate, not so good. Athletics are very sub-par, not much offerings for extracurriculars that are very good either. They have an IB program though.

[Glenfield]

There are four high schools in south Minneapolis and, as one might expect, the academic achievements of the students is largely determined by the relative prosperity of their students. Southwest draws on the wealthiest neighborhoods and is generally considered to be the strongest of the three. Many people, excepting my dear friend above, would put Southwest on par with any public school in the state. Washburn struggled for some time in retaining students from its relatively prosperous attendance area, but seems to have turned that around in the past few years. South serves a mixed community economically and themresults can be mixed, as well. That said, i know many families that have been very happy at South and wouldnt go anywhere else. Roosevelt serves the poorest communities in south Minneapolis. Granted, the are some nice areas, but there are more struggling families and the academics reflect that.

Washburn probably has the best athletics overall, but Southwest and South compete. None of the MPS compete at the level of the suburban and Catholic powerhouses, but I am not sure they aspire to either.

The middle schools will follow a similar pattern as the high schools. We don't have the monoculture that you'll generally find in the suburban districts, so results will vary more and may be more dependent on your own familiy situation.

Private schools can be an attractive option, and is the one we chose for our family. We send our child to Minnehaha Academy, in part for the academics, in part for the opportunity for pre-K through 12 at one schools, and partly because it is a Chrisitan school.

I hope you find this helpful.

[veetzvino]

Thanks! Can you give me a ball park or range for costs with the private options?

[Beenhere4ever]

Varies from school to school. But I'm a believer that kids who come out of home putting a high value on learning will succeed no matter where they go. It is a myth that the school makes the kid a success.

[MplsTodd]

There's a wide range of schools in Minneapolis. Many of the strongest academically tend to be in South Mpls, particularly SW Mpls. We lived in Linden Hills for 20 years and out kids went to Lake Harriet Community School and Southwest H S. I'd say that the class sizes tend to be larger than ideal and Southwest HS could be expanded, but they're great schools, with lots of great kids. My kids got a very good education and I'd recommend Both schools. Most people we knew sent their kids to public school, but catholic school (Christ The King, De Lasalle, Benilde), montessori (Lake Country), Blake and Breck were also options.
SW has a decent sports program, particularly Soccer (2nd & 3rd in state in '11 and '12), Nordic Skiing, as well as a pretty strong baseball team.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by labarbmb

Thanks! Can you give me a ball park or range for costs with the private options?

For private school tuition think $7,000 (Calvin Christian Academy) on the lower end to $25,000 at the very top end (Blake, Breck, St. Paul Academy.) Minnehaha would be around $15,000. There is also a significant amount of financial aid available at Minnehaha and I am sure that would be the case at other schools, as well

Another option to consider is charter schools. Minnesota is a leader is this area, which is a form of public/ private hybrid. Schools like Nova Classical Academy are really, really outstanding places. Here is a place for I for information on that option.
Home: Welcome - MN Association of Charter Schools

Good luck!

[veetzvino]

Wanted to check back in on this topic to see what the latest is in South Minneapolis. I know there seems to be a trend of people moving back closer to the city and of course a ton of new homes there. I'm curious how this influx of money and people has affected the schools.

[rzzz]

When I've looked at school scores for those areas it seems like elementary ratings are the highest. Which is in line with the trends for gentrifying urban areas across the country.

[cheddar]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I guess it depends on how you define "good". If good means "diverse" as it does for so many people here, they are great schools. If you want something with more than a 48% graduation rate, not so good. Athletics are very sub-par, not much offerings for extracurriculars that are very good either. They have an IB program though.

Could you clarify for us which of the high schools in south Minneapolis have a graduation rate of 48% or less? And which one has extra curriculars that are "not very good either"?