Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

(ISD #625) that operates in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

. Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's largest school district and serves approximately 38,380 students. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary schools, 8

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

s, 7

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s, 3

alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...

s, and one

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff. The entire school district also participates in the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

's College in the Schools (CIS) program. The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, the Community Education program offers classes,and services such as Early Childhood Family Education,

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

Diploma, language programs, and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages. In 1993, St. Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools. In 2006, the St. Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of St. Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun and

Warren Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the St. Paul Colleg ...

, civil rights leader

Roy Wilkins Roy Ottoway Wilkins (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981) was a prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was his leadership of the National Association for the ...

, creator of the

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...

cartoon strip

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wi ...

, and many others from various professions and among notable achievements.

Demographics

The district has students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

and Somali. 73.91% of students are students of color. 69% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 17% of students are considered Special Education and 40% of students are ELL (English Language Learners). The school district currently receives $22 million a year in desegregation funding from the state. However, because of two

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

cases, schools are no longer allowed to assign students to schools based on race. As of 2001, the district had 46,000 students. About one third of them were Hmong. At the time, about 13,000 of the Hmong students received

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

(ESL) services. In 2002, of all of the American school districts, St. Paul had the largest Hmong student population.

Governing body

The governing body of the school district is the seven-member Board of Education. The Board of Education then appoints a

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

who is responsible for the general supervision of the school district. Board of Education is elected during Saint Paul's general municipal elections. Board members are elected every two years in odd-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms. The school board elections are technically nonpartisan, however most candidates seek and advertise party endorsements. The current Superintendent is Joe Gothard. The current Board of Education members are: * Zuki Ellis(Chair) * Steve Marchese (vice-chair) * Jeanelle Foster (Clerk) * Jon Schumacher (Treasurer) * John Brodrick (Director) * Mary Vanderwert (Director) * (Vacant)

Elementary schools (PreK-5)

Middle schools (6-8)

*Battle Creek Middle School *Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet (1-8) *Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet *Hazel Park Preparatory Academy *Highland Park Middle School *Humboldt Secondary School *Global Arts Plus Upper Campus * Murray Middle School *Parkway Montessori Community Middle School *Open World Expeditionary Secondary *Ramsey Middle School *Washington Technology Secondary *Creative Arts Secondary

High schools (9-12)

* Arlington Senior High School (Closed after the 2010-2011 school year now part of Washington Technology Magnet School) * Central Senior High School * Como Park Senior High School * Harding Senior High School * Highland Park Senior High School *

Humboldt Senior High School Humboldt Senior High School is a public high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States which serves students in grades 6-12. The school is the smallest of the nine high schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district with an enro ...

* Johnson Senior High School
Open World Learning Community (6-12)Creative Arts High School (9-12)Washington Technology Magnet School (6-12)

History of Saint Paul Schools

Special programs

LEAP - International Academy

In Fall of 1994, Saint Paul Public Schools started the Limited English Achievement Program (LEAP) as a school completely dedicated to

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

learners (ELL) aged 16 to 24 years. In 2005, the school's name was changed to " International Academy - LEAP" to reflect a more direct meaning for the school. These are students whose needs often do not match the offerings provided in traditional

.International Academy-LEAP
, Saint Paul Public Schools Official website

References

* * *

External links

Saint Paul Public Schools official website
{{Authority control School districts in Minnesota Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota School districts established in 1856