Minneapolis Schools?

The schools in Mpls really vary by neighborhood so you will want to do research into the specific area you are looking at moving to. I have two children the Mpls public schools and am very happy! The schools are terrific in out neighborhood!! To answer your specific questions, the school choice program allows families to choose schools that are not necessarily in their neighborhood, such as an immersion or Montessori school. I have never heard of children not getting into their neighborhood school, but I suppose it is possible if there were a lot of incoming kinders or your child didn't start t the school as a kinder. Lastly, the elementary favorites that I know of are just the ones that I or close friends have had personal experiences with...Burroughs, Lake Harriet, Armatage, Kenny, Whittier. Good luck!

Right now, it's not good. There is currently a big campaign underway (by Mpls. schools) to get kids back who've been pulled out by their concerned parents or just moved away. There was an exodus of families over the last few years from the area to suburban neighborhoods. Because of the down shift in the economy, the district is projecting these families will return and thus will once again send their children to their schools. It remains to be seen if new schools and funds will mean quality education in the future. But going by the last 5-10 years, it has been disappointing to say the least with graduation rates and academic scores.

As a result, over the last few years, families have been turning to alternatives such as private schools, charter schools and homeschooling -which is booming significantly right now as the economy is making private schools less affordable.

Several Minneapolis neighborhood schools had to close because enrollment was down significantly in many areas...not just the expected economically challenged areas of the city...but many neighborhoods are affected.

If you were to opt for a public school, charter programs like Fair school in downtown Minneapolis are a popular choice. I often hear good things about it. But I also hear it's very competitive to get in.

Why don't you read up on your own and see for yourself.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=503005

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/128566073.html

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/04/21/17518/new_minn...

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S###-###-####.shtml?cat=1...

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onpointmn/2011/04/16/trouble...

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/128713028.html

Minneapolis Fair School
http://schoolchoice.mpls.k12.mn.us/fair_--_downtown.html

Information on the Mpls. school choice program:
http://schoolchoice.mpls.k12.mn.us/

We just moved from MN mainly because our experience was awful with the district we were in. There seem to be a ton of budget cutbacks too. The only way to know is to go to each specific school and investigate.
www.greatschools.org is a great website for peoples inputs and test score comparisons. Things can change in a couple of years too :-)

We live in White Bear Lake, a suburb just north of St. Paul. We have been thrilled with the AMI accredited Montessori School my children attend, called White Bear Montessori School. I highly recommend considering it. You can see goodatdoingthings.org for articles and information regarding Montessori from Dr. Steven Hughes.

We moved to St. Paul from NYC four years ago - also to be nearer to our families. We have had a wonderful experience with the public schools. There is a new superintendent who is making some systemic changes, but even as that all shakes out, we are going to our neighborhood school, which is an International Baccalaureate program. There are a number of kids in our neighborhood who chose to go to another (larger) nearby school, which they also like very much. Of all the families I'm close to in the area, very few of us have children in the same schools, and we're all very happy with our school choices: montessori, arts magnet, year-round school, multi-age classrooms, etc. (I live in the Highland Park neighborhood, and I also have friends in Macalester/Groveland, Merriam Park, Lexington/Hamline, Selby/Dale, Summit Hill, and Phalen. You can google all these neighborhoods.) The main systemic change right now is a cutback in busing, which means you have to be prepared to drive your kids if you choose the school that is not your neighborhood school. But the intent behind this is to strengthen the neighborhood schools, so that's a good thing - and so far, despite the fact that our neighborhood school is also a magnet school and draws kids from all over the city, most families have continued to enroll their kids, even if they no longer have busing.

I know Minneapolis can seem the more cosmopolitan of the Twin Cities, especially coming from the East Coast, but don't write off St. Paul as an option. We really love our neighborhood - walkable (grocery, library, parks, school, shops), convenient to buses and highways (we can pretty much get anywhere in either downtown area without 10-15 minutes) - quiet, lovely, great architecture, lovely people.

Good luck!

In Minneapolis, it really depends on the neighborhood. In North Minneapolis, where poverty is higher than other parts of the city, the schools are struggling, and many parents of color have chosen to pull their kids out and put them in charter or other schools.

In Southwest Minneapolis, where there are more college-educated, middle class parents, the schools are quite good. Whittier and Barton are the two magnet programs (so could be more competitive to get into), and the popular community schools are Kenwood, Lake Harriet (upper and lower campus), Burroughs, Armatage, and Kenny.

There are many school districts around the suburbs that are a different story. If you are looking into a specific area I would research that area.