Nova Classical Academy Lower School

Nova Classical Academy Lower School is a medium-sized K-5 school in SAINT PAUL, Minnesota, one of the schools within Nova Classical Academy. The school works with 485 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 41% bigger than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 344 students.

Nova Classical Academy Lower School is one of 2 schools operated by Nova Classical Academy, a district that educates 1,041 students overall.

On demographics, Nova Classical Academy Lower School lists that 55% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 17% Black, 13% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 7% multiracial.

On the resource side, Nova Classical Academy Lower School lists 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.9:1. The state averages about 13.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 24% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Ramsey County (around 57%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Nova Classical Academy Lower School sits in the top 10% of Minnesota schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 52.4%; actual is 66.5%, +14.1 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Ramsey County) records that median household earnings sit near $81,568, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Ramsey County runs 302 public schools (combined enrollment of about 94,437 students), of which Nova Classical Academy Lower School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Nova Classical Academy Upper School, around 0.0 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Nova Classical Academy Lower School comes 2nd of 5 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 44.3%.

The campus sits in a metropolitan setting. Nova Classical Academy Lower School is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 4%: 468 students in 2018 compared to 485 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 73% to 55%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.1:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 in 2025.

On allk12, members of the Nova Classical Academy Lower School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.