HGA Elementary

HGA Elementary is one of the large elementary schools in SAINT PAUL, Minnesota, overseen by Higher Ground Academy, with 525 students on its rolls from grades K through 5. By comparison, Minnesota's public schools average about 344 students each, so HGA Elementary sits 53% above that benchmark.

Within Higher Ground Academy, which oversees 3 schools and 1,163 students, HGA Elementary is one campus in the system.

On demographics, HGA Elementary reports that 94% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. The remainder breaks down as 6% White. The wider county runs roughly 12% Black, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.7:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 94% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Ramsey County (around 57%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), HGA Elementary sits in the top 10% of Minnesota schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 14.4%; actual is 38.6%, +24.2 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Ramsey County shows median household income runs about $81,568, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Ramsey County's 302 public schools (combined enrollment of about 94,437 students), HGA Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: HGA Junior High, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), HGA Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 38.8%.

HGA Elementary operates from an inner-city location. HGA Elementary is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 13%: 606 students in 2018 compared to 525 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment contracted from 100% to 94% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 20.5:1 in 2018 to 17.7:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.