Portfolio & partner schools

Great schools, right here in our community are helping students from every neighborhood and every background realize their extraordinary potential

We empower district, charter and independent schools with the resources and support to provide an exceptional education to more Minneapolis kids.

Portfolio schools

Friendship Academy of the Arts

Friendship Academy of the Arts is a National Blue Ribbon, K-7 public charter school in South Minneapolis.

School type: Charter
School director: Charvez Russell, brussell@friendshipacademy.org
Grades served: K-7, growing to K-8
Contact: 2600 E 38th St., Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-879-6703
www.friendshipacademy.org

School summary

Friendship Academy of the Arts is a K-7 charter school serving students from South Minneapolis – and beyond. Its vision is to empower scholars to be lifelong leaders and learners by developing the whole child socially, emotionally, academically and artistically. The “Friendship Way” comprises four interrelated pillars: academics, leadership, family, and community collaboration and art integration. At the heart of the model, Friendship’s beliefs about the importance of friendship at school and in life.

Friendship has consistently shown strong academic performance, with its scholars beating the Minneapolis proficiency average in both reading and math on the Minnesota state assessment.

Global Academy

Global Academy is a public charter school that serves 430 students in grades K-8. It has been recognized as a school that is “beating the odds” in terms of student academic performance.

School type: Charter
School director: Helen Fisk, helen.fisk@globalacademy.us
Grades served: K-8
Contact: 3000 5th St. NW, New Brighton, MN 55112
763-404-8200
www.globalacademy.us

School summary

Global Academy is committed to service in the broader world based on the goals of the International Baccalaureate Organization. Empowered by academic rigor, graduates of Global are prepared for success and leadership in challenging high school programs.

Global’s vision: All students will have access to an internationally competitive education that will prepare them for life in a global economy. It creates a learning environment in which diverse students develop a love of learning and become responsible, global citizens; students will be active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who have the human and technological skills to be productive and successful world citizens.

Hennepin Schools

Hennepin Schools is a K-8 charter network serving 400 students. It has received several awards and distinctions for its quality from the Star Tribune and Minnesota Department of Education.

School type: Charter
School director: Julie Henderson, jhenderson@hennepinelementary.org
Grades served: K-8
Contact:
Elementary school: 2123 Clinton Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Middle school: 3109 E 50th St., Minneapolis, MN 55417
612-843-5050
www.hennepinschools.org

School summary

Hennepin Schools is a K-8 charter school network that opened in 2012 as Hennepin Elementary. It seeks to serve a diverse population across South Minneapolis (although it buses citywide). Its mission: Provide all students with the knowledge, skills and character to graduate from high school, and the confidence to continue on and successfully complete their post-secondary education. Its core values include student achievement, “we serve,” “the high road,” “straight talk” and continuous improvement.

Great MN Schools has invested in Hennepin Schools to support a strategic planning process, as well as the effective growth to grades K-8.

Hiawatha Academies

Hiawatha Academies is a network of high-performing, college-preparatory schools focused on closing the opportunity gap in Minneapolis.

School type: Charter
School director: La Shawn Ray, lray@hiawathaacademies.org
Grades served: K-12
Contact: 3500 E 28th St., Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-455-4004
www.hiawathaacademies.org

School summary

Hiawatha Academies is a network of high-performing, college-preparatory schools focused on closing the opportunity gap. Its college preparatory educational program is based on a philosophy of high expectations, family partnership, and the development of character and leadership skills.

The Hiawatha network of schools include:

Hiawatha Leadership Academy – Northrop (K-4)
Hiawatha College Prep – Northrop (5-6)
Hiawatha College Prep – Kingfield (5-8)
Hiawatha Collegiate High School (9-12)

Hiawatha Academies is the largest CMO in the city, and its schools are among the highest performing. Hiawatha scholars, for example, are three times more likely than their peers in area district schools to perform at grade level.

Great MN Schools is committed to supporting Hiawatha Academies' work to deepen and strengthen the experiences students have in their schools and their continued academic success.

Hope Academy

Hope Academy is a Christ-centered, classical academy founded as an opportunity-equalizer for urban youth.

School type: Independent
School director: Russ Gregg, rgregg@hopeschool.org
Grades served: K-12
Contact: 2300 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-540-2000
www.hopeschool.org

School summary

Hope Academy first opened its doors in 2000 and today serves more than 550 students in grades K-12, with a vision of growing to 700 students. Its mission is to foster hope in God in its students by providing a remarkable, Christ-centered education.

The Hope Academy model focuses on five core components:

Faith-based classical education
Discipline and high expectations
Parental involvement
Accountability
Partner funding model

Great MN Schools has invested in Hope Academy to support the implementation of its strategic plan focused on academic success for all students.

New Millennium Academy

NMA is a K-8 public charter school serving more than 700 students from the greater Minneapolis community.

School type: Charter
School director: Bao Vang, baov@hmong.org
Grades served: K-8
Contact: 5105 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
612-377-6260
www.newmillenniumacademy.org

School summary

New Millennium Academy develops global leaders who transform the world; it prepares learners for life, engages them in high academic achievement, and fosters cultural pride and identity. As a K-8 school founded in 2005 to serve the growing needs of the Hmong population in the Twin Cities, in 2016 it expanded into its new building in Brooklyn Center and serves more than 700 students.

NMA offers standards-based education with technology support – students are gaining in academic achievement every day. Support for English Language Learners is a priority and students are ahead of many local schools in language acquisition.

Northeast College Prep

Northeast College Prep is a K-8 charter school in NE Minneapolis.

School type: Charter
School director: Carl Phillips, cphillips@northeastcollegeprep.org
Grades served: K-8
Contact: 300 Industrial Blvd. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
612-248-8240
www.northeastcollegeprep.org

School summary

Northeast College Prep is a K-8 charter school. Its vision:

Students will be empowered with strong academic skills and knowledge, social and emotional intelligence, deeply developed personal talents, commitment to the common good, on-going support from the NECP community, and a deep love of learning.
Graduates will thrive in the local, national, and international community in a wide range of professional fields.
The school’s success will serve as a proof-point that all students, regardless of background, flourish when a school’s entire staff deeply believes in the potential and fully commits to the success of each and every one.

Prodeo Academy

Prodeo Academy is a growing PreK-6 charter school.

School type: Charter
School director: Rick Campion, rickcampion@prodeoacademy.org
Grades served: PreK-6, growing to PreK-8
Contact: 620 Olson Memorial Highway, Minneapolis, MN 55411
612-559-4881
www.prodeoacademy.org

School summary

Prodeo Academy is a PreK-6 charter school. Prodeo’s instructional model is designed to prepare students for college, and is informed by national best practices in education from the top academic schools in the country. Prodeo is built upon a foundation of data-driven instruction, strong curricula, teacher training, strategic innovation and clear structures. Since inception, Prodeo has consistently demonstrated strong results on the NWEA, effectively moving students toward proficiency.

Great MN Schools has invested in Prodeo Academy to support a strategic planning process, as well as the effective growth of its school from PreK-6 to PreK-8.

Wildflower Schools

Wildflower is a growing ecosystem of Montessori micro-schools – it currently has two schools in its Minneapolis network that serve school-aged children.

School type: Charter
School director: Matt Kramer, matthew.kramer@wildflowerschools.org
Grades served: PreK-K
Contact:
Acorn Montessori (ages 3-6): 310 E 38th St., Suites 133-135, Minneapolis, MN 55409
Lirio Montessori (ages 3-6): 3015 13th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
www.wildflowerschools.org

School summary

Wildflower aspires to give all children and families the opportunity to choose high-quality learning environments. New to Minneapolis, it creates educational environments in which:

Each child is treated as an individual who develops at his or her own pace;
A child’s development is considered as a series of interrelated processes;
Children exercise considerable choice and agency over their learning;
Competencies, such as executive function, are considered to be as important to long-term success as more traditional academic skills; and
Careful observation of students produces data that enable teachers to guide a child’s development.

New City School

New City School is a tuition-free Kindergarten-8th grade public charter school that develops skilled and caring citizens for a new and better city.

School type: Charter
Exeuctive director: Jane Ojile, jane.ojile@newcitycharterschool.org
Grades served: K-8
Contact:
New City School: 1500 6th Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 623-3309
newcitycharterschoo.org

School summary

New City School is a tuition-free Kindergarten-8th grade public charter school that develops skilled and caring citizens for a new and better city. New City is a best practice site for the school-wide integration of social, emotional, and academic learning. We connect learners in a caring and ethical community where each student is an active “crew” member (no one is just a passenger!) who strives to grow citizen competencies, including critical thinking, empathy, and voice.

At New City, every student begins the day in a circle Crew Meeting that sets the stage for collaborative work, fosters joy, and engenders belonging. Students engage in shared inquiry of relevant questions, learn in the world through expeditions and interdisciplinary projects, and serve and share in the community. Because we understand that a strong and constructive community consists of empowered and engaged individuals, we cultivate student voice and expression through visual arts, music, and theater. We are a diverse, equity-committed, tight-knit, mission-driven, and joyful learning community.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is a Catholic coeducational high school located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN.

School type: Independent
School director: Erin Healy, Principal ErinHealy@cristoreytc.org
Grades served: 9-12
Contact:
2924 4th Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 545-9700
cristoreytc.org

School summary

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is a Catholic coeducational high school located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN. Our students come exclusively from families of limited economic means. A member of the Cristo Rey Network® of Schools, Cristo Rey Jesuit is endorsed by the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus.

We provide an innovative college and career preparatory curriculum focusing on the development of the habits of mind and spirit.

Our community, including our board, administration, faculty, staff, corporate partners, donors, parents and students, is committed to building a community of care rooted in the Catholic tradition, and welcomes people of all backgrounds to join us.

Partner schools

In addition to supporting portfolio schools, which typically receive multi-year funding commitments for planning and implementation, we offer targeted supports to proven and promising schools as they work to strengthen key conditions for growth and success.

Portfolio & partner schools

Great schools, right here in our community are helping students from every neighborhood and every background realize their extraordinary potential

Portfolio schools

Friendship Academy of the Arts

Global Academy

Hennepin Schools

Hiawatha Academies

Hope Academy

New Millennium Academy

Northeast College Prep

Prodeo Academy

Wildflower Schools

New City School

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Partner schools

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