Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) or Special School District Number 1 is a public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Minneapolis Public Schools enrolls 36,370 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers about one hundred public schools including forty-five elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools, eight special education schools, eight alternative schools, nineteen contract alternative schools, and five charter schools. With authority granted by the state legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. and and
Enrollment In the past decade enrollment in Minneapolis Public Schools has decreased significantly. In the 2001–2002 school year the district's enrollment was 46,256 students. In the 2002–2003 school year Minneapolis Public School's 46,037 students were enough to be the 98th largest school district in the United States in terms of enrollment. In the following school year (2003–2004) alone, the district's enrollment had decreased 5% to just over 43,000 students. At that time the district was predicted to lose 10,000 more students over the next five years if the then-current trend continued. Some of the decline has been the result of a smaller school-age population.
In the 2007–2008 school year, 10,000 eligible school children in Minneapolis choose to attend other schools such as ones in suburban school districts, private schools, or charter schools. The number of students enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools is expected to drop under 30,000 students from 2007 to 2011. As a result of "a severe learning gap, continued enrollment decreases and financial shortfalls" the district has at times proposed closing a number of schools, the majority in North Minneapolis. The district has space for 50,000 students.
A large portion of students that would normally attend schools in Minneapolis instead attend schools in the western suburbs. In 2000, the Minneapolis branch of the NAACP sued alleging that students were being denied an adequate education. As a result, a program called "The Choice is Yours" was created that gave low-income students support in attending suburban schools.Minnesota Department of Education THE CHOICE IS YOURS PROGRAM Retrieved on 2008-03-04 Around 2,000 students, the majority being from North Minneapolis, do so, attending other school districts in the West Metro Education Program. Several studies have revealed that students who remain in Minneapolis Public Schools have better test scores than those that are bused to schools in the suburbs.Collins, Terry (March 3, 2008), "Busing to suburbs didn't boost test scores", Star Tribune Retrieved on 2008-03-04
Demographic profile of students Race + Racial/ethnicity breakdown of enrolled students, 1985-2020 Race/ethnicity 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2023 White 60.0% 47.8% 36.3% 26.9% 27.9% 31.9% 33.7% 38.0% 42.1% Black 25.0% 32.4% 40.4% 44.7% 41.8% 37.1% 37.7% 36.0% 32.9% Hispanic 1.5% 2.1% 4.4% 9.2% 15.4% 18.1% 18.5% 16.8% 14.5% Asian 5.9% 10.2% 12.4% 14.8% 10.7% 8.2% 6.4% 5.5% 5.5% Native 6.6% 7.8% 6.5% 4.5% 4.2% 4.8% 3.7% 3.5% 4.6%
Languages Primary home language, 2012-2021 Language2012201520182021Students% Students % Students % Students % English23,53468.44%24,46568.89%23,96068.89%21,31772.27% Spanish5,70716.60%5,43515.19%4,83113.89%4,11013.93% Somali2,5357.37%3,62010.12%4,14411.91%2,6609.02% Hmong1,4014.07%1,0592.96%7522.16%5071.72% Other Afroasiatic1680.49%2230.62%4451.28%3391.15% Other Indo-European1520.44%1740.49%1540.44%1620.55% Vietnamese820.24%810.23%660.19%490.17% Other language8082.35%7252.03%4291.23%3521.19%
Graduation rates and outcomes The following table displays graduation rates in Minneapolis Public School District and Minnesota as a whole since 2021: +Graduation rate, 2021-2025, % graduated20212022202320242025Minneapolis Public Schools73.776.767.873.872.8Minnesota Statewide83.383.683.384.284.9 On other measures, Minneapolis Public Schools generally has slightly to significantly lower outcomes than the state as a whole, as demonstrated by the following table: +Various educational measures, 2024 or 2025MinneapolisMinnesota% Proficient in reading, 202540.849.6% Proficient in math, 202535.845.2% Proficient in science, 202522.926.2% Consistent (>90%) attendance, 202464.175.5% College-going within 16 months, 20246364
Changing school options (2009)
Partly in a response to an assessment performed by a consulting company (McKinsey & Co.) and a reduction in future budgets, the Minneapolis Schools embarked on a program to reorganize the community and magnet school organization.
The Minneapolis Board of Education at its September 22 meeting voted to amend and approve the recommendation for Changing School Options, a comprehensive plan to create financial sustainability for the Minneapolis Public Schools. The final vote was unanimous in favor of the recommendation.
Changing School Options creates three regional zones for transportation. With the exception of a few citywide options, students will attend an elementary, middle and high school in their zone. This three zone transportation model reduces transportation costs, retains choice for families since each zone offers at least three magnet options in addition to a community school and allows students to attend schools closer to home.
Each zone will offer K–8 students access to the following magnet programs: International Baccalaureate (IB); Teaching philosophy: Open or Montessori; Spanish Dual Immersion; Curricular: Arts and Science. Each zone will offer 9–12 students access to comprehensive high school programming.
Families with children enrolled in a citywide special education or English Language Learner program will continue to receive transportation across zones. Based on the state's open enrollment law, families still have the option to enroll at any school in the city provided there is space available and they provide their own transportation. Students currently attending magnet, middle or high schools outside of their home attendance area or zone will have the option of grandfathering, or being guaranteed a seat in their current school, but must provide their own transportation. Students attending a community school who live outside of their school's attendance area will be able to continue to attend if space is available, but must provide transportation.
The plan closes six buildings – four schools and two administrative centers that also house alternative programs – at the end of the 2009–10 school year: 1250 West Broadway; Longfellow; Folwell; the Lehmann Center; Emerson, which would move to the Anwatin/Bryn Mawr site; and the Brown Building, which housed Anishinabe Academy. Anishinabe has already moved to Sullivan for this school year. The Anwatin Middle School program will be phased out over the next two years; students who are in sixth and seventh grade at Anwatin may continue at the school through their eighth grade year.
The K–5 portion of Emerson Spanish Dual Immersion School will move intact to the Bryn Mawr/Anwatin site, with existing transportation services for those outside of the walk zone. A new combined Dual Spanish Immersion–International Baccalaureate middle school program will be created at the Bryn Mawr/Anwatin site to serve Emerson, Windom and community sixth through eighth graders from the Bryn Mawr and Bethune attendance areas. This program would also serve students remaining in the Anwatin program through their eighth grade year.
The number of magnet schools will be reduced from 16 to 12 in order to concentrate resources on fewer magnets to strengthen their programs. Schools that are no longer magnets may choose to retain their themes. Current magnet schools that will no longer have magnet status are Cityview and Kenwood Performing Arts, Northrop Environmental and Pillsbury Math, Science and Technology. The Park View Montessori program will close. Armatage Community and Montessori School will become a full Montessori magnet school, with the community school program closing at the end of the 2009–10 school year. Bancroft Community School will become an International Baccalaureate magnet school.
Implementation of CSO for the 2010–2011 school year was modified from the plan as stated here. Among the changes: Anwatin Middle School remains open and now offers an International Baccalaureate program to all students, with about 25% of students also participating in a Spanish Dual Immersion program (established path from the K–5 Spanish Dual Immersion feeder programs at Emerson and Windom). Emerson remains at their unique location near downtown Minneapolis and beautiful Loring Park, and has expanded to offer Hi–5 classes.
Leadership The Minneapolis Board of Education, also referred to as the School Board, is the board of education for Minneapolis Public Schools. It describes itself as "a policy-making body responsible for selecting the superintendent and overseeing the district's budget, curriculum, personnel and facilities." The Minneapolis Board of Education has been granted the power to carry out such duties by the State of Minnesota and the Minnesota Legislature.
Current members Chair: Collin Beachy (member at-large) Vice-Chair: Kim Ellison (member at-large) Clerk: Lori Norvell (District 5) Treasurer: Abdul Abdi (District 1) Director: Sharon El-Amin (District 2) Director: Faheema Feerayarre (District 3) Director: Adriana Cerillo (District 4) Director: Ira Jourdain (District 6) Director: Joyner Emerick (member at-large) Student Representative: Leo Peralta Student Representative: Elliston Rounds
Schools Minneapolis Public Schools runs or contracts with the following schools serving pre-K through 12th grade:
Mixed-grade schools Ella Baker Global Studies and Humanities School (formerly Jefferson Community School)(Pre-K–8) MPS Online School (K-12) Sullivan STEAM School (Pre-K–8)
Pre-K schools Early Childhood Special Education Mona Moede Early Learning Center
Elementary schools (K–5)
Anishinabe Academy† Armatage Elementary Community School Bancroft Community School† Barton Elementary School Bethune Arts Elementary School† Bryn Mawr Elementary School† Burroughs Elementary School Cityview Elementary School† Dowling Elementary School Emerson Dual Language Elementary School Field Elementary School (formerly Field Middle School) (3-5) Folwell Elementary School† Green Central Dual Language Elementary School† Hale Elementary School (K–2) Hall STEM Academy† Hiawatha Elementary School (K-2) Hmong International Academy† Howe Elementary School (3-5) Jenny Lind Elementary School† Kenny Elementary School Kenwood Elementary School Lake Harriet Lower Elementary School (K-2) Lake Harriet Upper Elementary School (3-5) Lake Nokomis Wenonah Elementary School (K-1) Lake Nokomis Keewaydin Elementary School (2-5) Las Estrellas Dual Language Elementary School† Loring Elementary School† Lucy Craft Laney at Cleveland Park Elementary School† Lyndale Elementary School† Marcy Arts Elementary School† Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School† Northrop Elementary School Pillsbury Elementary School† Pratt Elementary School† Seward Montessori Elementary School† Waite Park Elementary School† Webster Elementary School† Whittier International Elementary School† Windom Elementary School † indicates elementary schools also offering pre-K
Middle schools (6–8)
Andersen United Middle School Andersen Spanish Dual Language Anthony Middle School Anwatin Middle School Franklin STEAM Middle School Justice Page Middle School (formerly Ramsey Middle School) Northeast Middle School Olson Middle School Sanford Middle School
High schools (9–12) Camden High School Edison High School