Universal Academy Elementary

Located at 2912 28TH AVE S, in MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Universal Academy Elementary is a reasonably sized elementary school that educates 411 students (grades pre-K through 6), part of Universal Academy Charter School.

Universal Academy Charter School comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 679 students; Universal Academy Elementary is among them.

Looking at the student body, Universal Academy Elementary lists that nearly all students (98%) are Black. That is noticeably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 13%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Universal Academy Elementary has 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. An estimated 93% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Hennepin County (around 43%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Universal Academy Elementary is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 15.2%; this one delivers 43.0%, a residual of +27.8 points.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Hennepin County indicate median household earnings sit near $97,653, roughly 54% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, Hennepin County runs 496 public schools (combined enrollment of about 177,509 students), of which Universal Academy Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Universal Academy Middle/High, roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Universal Academy Elementary. On composite proficiency, Universal Academy Elementary comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 16.5%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site. Universal Academy Elementary is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 25%: 330 students in 2018 compared to 411 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.