Hello friends, welcome to the Tigerjek, in this post we will tell you about the best schools in Minnesota. Minnesota is situated in the Midwest of the United States, known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. The capital of Minnesota is Saint Paul, and its largest city is Minneapolis, with the two forming the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Located on the border with Canada, the state features numerous lakes, forests, and prairie lands. It is also bordered by Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. In 2024, World Population Review ranked Minnesota 7th for overall public school quality and 6th for educational quality. Here are the best schools of Minnesota:
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The International School of Minnesota
Founded in 1985, The International School of Minnesota is a private school located in the heart of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. For over 35 years, ISM has been educating students in the local and international community using the SABIS® Educational System, an academically rigorous program that provides students with a solid foundation of knowledge and valuable 21st century skills to ensure their success in college and beyond.
ISM’s mission is to deliver a top-quality, educational experience that ensures the college success and future work readiness of every student. We develop impactful leaders who possess depth of character and exhibit strong civic values. Our students understand the long-term value of a learning mindset, teamwork, and curiosity.
A member of the global SABIS® Network, our proprietary educational system facilitates a 360-degree view of academic progress, fostering accountability for students and educators, and transparency for parents/guardians.
The International School of Minnesota is committed to offering a safe and nurturing environment that encourages students to explore interests and identify areas of strength so they may achieve their full potential. As a community, we value multiculturalism and individuality. We deploy a unique approach to the student experience centered on three core pillars:
- To do their best and persevere with enthusiasm and commitment to attain their full potential
- To learn to be independent and take ownership of their decisions and actions
- To be inquisitive, forward-thinking, and agile learners ready for a changing world
- To cultivate an awareness of self and others that is rooted in respect, empathy, and inclusivity
- To practice honesty and integrity in all areas of life
- To be socially responsible citizens and active members of their community
Minnehaha Academy – High School
Minnehaha Academy, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a private Christian school that serves students from preschool through grade 12. Established in 1884 by Rev. Erik August Skogsbergh, the school was founded on the belief that young people should receive both excellent academics and a strong Christian foundation. Over the years, it has grown steadily, expanding grade levels, opening new campuses, and building a reputation as one of Minnesota’s top private schools.
The Academy is split across two campuses. The Lower and Middle School, which includes preschool through grade 8, sits on West River Parkway at the South Campus, while the Upper School for grades 9–12 is located on the North Campus just a few miles away. Both campuses offer state-of-the-art facilities that support academics, arts, and athletics.
Academically, Minnehaha Academy is known for its rigorous curriculum, with a wide selection of Advanced Placement courses and a track record of 100% college acceptance for its graduates. The faculty includes highly qualified teachers, many with advanced degrees, who emphasize not just academic achievement but also character development and faith-based values. The school’s student body is diverse, with nearly 40% identifying as students of color, reflecting its commitment to an inclusive learning environment.
The community has faced challenges as well. In 2017, a devastating gas explosion destroyed part of the Upper School, tragically claiming lives and displacing students. Yet, the Academy rebuilt stronger, reopening its new Upper School campus in 2019, a testament to resilience and unity.
Tuition at Minnehaha Academy is on par with other private schools in the region, averaging around $30,000 a year for high school students. Financial aid is widely available, making the school accessible to families from different backgrounds.
Today, Minnehaha Academy continues to live out its mission of preparing students not only for academic success but also for lives of faith, leadership, and service.
Great River School
Great River School, nestled in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is a unique public charter school that combines the Montessori philosophy with the globally recognized International Baccalaureate program. Serving students from first through twelfth grade, the school has built its reputation on the belief that education should not only challenge the mind but also nurture character, responsibility, and a sense of global citizenship.
The school’s mission is deeply rooted in the Montessori vision of “world peace through education.” In practice, that means students learn in a hands-on, student-centered environment in their early years, and then gradually transition into more independent, rigorous coursework as they move toward high school. By the time students reach grades 11 and 12, they are immersed in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a demanding academic track that prepares them for college and beyond.
Great River is also known for what it calls “Key Experiences” — memorable trips and practical learning opportunities that take students out of the classroom and into the real world. Ninth graders spend time working on farms, tenth graders head out to explore state parks, and older students take on adventures like university visits and canoe expeditions. These experiences are designed not just to teach skills, but to help young people discover themselves and their place in the world.
With a student body of just over 400, Great River maintains a close-knit atmosphere where every student is known and supported. The school prides itself on diversity and inclusivity, with about a quarter of its students coming from minority backgrounds, and a commitment to equity and social justice woven into daily life. Teachers, with an average student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1, work to ensure personalized attention while fostering independence and critical thinking.
As a tuition-free charter school, Great River relies heavily on community involvement. Parents are active partners, often volunteering their time, while donations help sustain programs that go beyond the basics. The result is a school community that feels less like an institution and more like a collective effort toward raising thoughtful, engaged, and compassionate young adults.
Mounds Park Academy
After years of research, hard work, and a commitment to providing a college-preparatory curriculum focused on educating the whole child, founders Bob Kreischer and Sandy Kreischer Smith witnessed their dream become a reality as the doors of Mounds Park Academy opened in the fall of 1982.
With a group of highly committed parents, administrators, and teachers, slightly more than 100 students began that fall. Soon teams and clubs were formed, friendships were cultivated, and students became active participants in classrooms where the joy of learning and the spirit of community were celebrated each day.
The reputation of this amazing school spread and the student body steadily grew. By 1986, MPA quadrupled its enrollment and celebrated its first graduating class of nine students! Today, MPA has approximately 570 students in PreK through 12th grade, and graduates as many as 65 students each year who then move on to well-respected colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Not only has the student body flourished, but the campus has as well. MPA expanded and enhanced its facilities through the years with the addition of the Lansing Center, a four-court sports center, more than a dozen new Upper School classrooms and science labs, an Upper School student commons, and a state-of-the-art Makerspace. The fall of 2019 brought the new Family Commons, kitchen and library to the heart of the campus.
Mounds Park Academy, the #2 ranked private school in the Twin Cities, nurtures students through a rigorous college-preparatory program that develops dreamers and doers. Our curriculum challenges students to apply their knowledge in ways that stir the human spirit, advocate for justice, and make a meaningful impact. This approach, which we call rigor with purpose, emphasizes that true achievement is measured by the depth of one’s contributions to the world, not merely by test scores. Our students are learners who embrace their responsibility to their communities, imagine a better world, and persist toward a more just future.
At MPA, you are on a journey to find a place where you can explore your individuality while learning, living, and thriving together. MPA inspires and energizes students of all ages, fostering respect, meaningful relationships, and a supportive community. Our students are self-directed, internally motivated, and equally proud of their own achievements and those of their peers. It is within this positive and nurturing environment that students discover their true potential.
Eagle Ridge Academy – Best Schools in Minnesota
Eagle Ridge Academy is the first public school in the southwest suburban area specifically dedicated to offering a demanding college preparatory, Classical, liberal arts curriculum. The Academy provides a learning opportunity that, up until now, has only been available at select private schools. ERA’s goal is to not only help each student achieve his highest academic potential, but also to develop strong character, with the intent of creating not just smarter students, but better people, prepared to lead abundant and responsible lives as contributing members of our great country.
At Eagle Ridge Academy, faculty, staff, and students follow the pursuit of Veritas, Pulchritudo, Probitas; identifying in Latin the central tenants of our school: Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.Eagle Ridge Academy also teaches the pillars using the acronym CIPHER: Citizenship, Integrity, Perseverance, Honor, Excellence, and Respect.
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
SPA is different. There is no back of the classroom here. Our core belief in the power of personal accountability has led us to create the “accountable classroom”: a small and vibrant learning community where master teachers discover and strengthen individual talents. But the accountable classroom is much more. It’s a place where children of all ages learn that they have a responsibility to engage and contribute. Every day. In every class. Because the class is only as good as the students and teacher make it, together. The ensuing discourse teaches students to respect the input of others even as they begin to recognize their own talents.
Critical thinking and imagination are both important here. We engage the whole student and the whole brain to produce college-ready graduates with supple minds that can synthesize, invent and build – individually or in teams.
In preparing students for college, we must also prepare them for life. At SPA, students are challenged by what we believe is the best academic curriculum in Minnesota. Caring support is a constant, but students will come to know hard work and high standards before they graduate. We believe that our culture of support and academic rigor teaches resilience and a love of learning. It also creates a community where people are judged based on what they contribute, not what they have.
It takes a special kind of faculty and leadership to cultivate an accountable, yet innovative culture. But for those who are the very best at what they do, SPA provides the freedom, time and resources to really focus on the students. In turn, the students inspire our staff to do the best work of their lives in fulfilling the school’s mission: shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world.
The Blake School – Best Schools in Minnesota
Founded in 1900 as Graham Hall, the school provided the opportunity for girls to continue their studies through their second year of college. In 1914 a group of Minneapolis leaders purchased Graham Hall and incorporated the school as Northrop Collegiate School. It was named in honor of Cyrus Northrop, president of the University of Minnesota from 1885 to 1911. Dr. Northrop spoke at the 1917 opening ceremony for the school’s new building in Minneapolis, which currently houses Blake’s Upper School.
In 1907 William McKendree Blake established the Blake School as a preparatory school for boys. Three years later, Charles C. Bovey asked 16 local business leaders to contribute $2,500 each toward Blake’s first capital drive. These original guarantors hired Charles B. Newton to replace William Blake as headmaster in 1911. The pooled resources enabled construction of a new building in Hopkins in 1912, current home to Blake’s Middle School and one of the two Lower School campuses.
Highcroft Country Day School was founded in 1958 as an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational kindergarten-through-ninth-grade institution. Located in Wayzata, Highcroft was designed to provide an exceptional education for students in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities. Highcroft was constructed in 1960 on land donated to the school, which had been part of the Highcroft estate. Following the merger, Highcroft was home to one of Blake’s two Lower School campuses. In 2023, with the opening of the Early Learning Center, the Lower School unified on the Blake campus.
Mission:Blake engages students with a dynamic, academically challenging education in a diverse and supportive community committed to pluralism and a common set of values. Students pursue an integrated program of academic, artistic and athletic activities, preparing for college, lifelong learning and purposeful lives as community and global citizens.
A vibrant learning environment springs from a diverse school community. For this reason, Blake seeks and values students, families and employees with a wide range of backgrounds, identities and life experiences. Individually and collectively, we strive for understanding across differences in an inclusive environment where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.
Harvest Best Academy
Harvest Preparatory School was established as a private school in 1992. In 1999, Harvest Preparatory School became a tuition-free charter school.
The Best Academy was established in 2008 as a single-gender school to address the unique educational needs of African American boys. The same year that the Best boys program was created, Sister Academy (a program for girls) was developed within the Harvest Preparatory School.
Best Academy East was established in 2010 after members of the East African Somali community in Minneapolis approached Harvest Preparatory School and Best Academy founders, Eric and Ella Mahmoud, and asked them to consider starting a program to meet the unique cultural and academic needs of their burgeoning English Language Learner (ELL) community.
In 2018, Harvest Preparatory School and Best Academy merged and became Harvest Best Academy, a free kindergarten through 8th grade school serving students in 3 programs: Harvest Prep (K-4), Best East (K-4), and Best Middle School (5-8).
Eden Prairie Schools
Eden Prairie Schools, located in the vibrant suburban community of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is recognized as one of the state’s top public school districts. Serving nearly 10,000 students from preschool through 12th grade, the district has earned a reputation for academic excellence, innovative programs, and strong community support.
The district operates a network of schools that includes multiple elementary schools, a dedicated middle school, and the well-regarded Eden Prairie High School. At the elementary level, families can choose between neighborhood schools or specialized programs such as Spanish immersion, giving students a bilingual advantage from an early age. As students move up, they benefit from small class sizes, personalized instruction, and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.
Eden Prairie High School is a cornerstone of the district, offering one of the largest course catalogs in the state. Students can pursue Advanced Placement courses, College in the Schools programs, and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, ensuring they graduate well-prepared for higher education. In addition, the school emphasizes career pathways and hands-on experiences that connect learning to the real world.
Performance across the district is consistently strong. Reading and math proficiency rates surpass state averages, and the district regularly ranks among Minnesota’s top three according to independent reviews. Beyond academics, Eden Prairie Schools is committed to supporting the whole student, with services for gifted learners, students with special needs, and multilingual families.
The district’s guiding motto, “Inspiring Each,” reflects its belief that every student deserves personalized encouragement and opportunities to discover their passions. With a diverse student population representing many languages and cultures, Eden Prairie Schools strives to build an inclusive community where all learners feel valued and supported.
Governed by a seven-member elected school board and supported by engaged families, the district continues to thrive as a model of what public education can achieve when academics, equity, and community work hand in hand.
Nova Classical Academy
Nova Classical Academy, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a public charter school that has quickly established itself as one of the state’s top-performing schools. Founded in 2003 by a group of parents who believed in the power of a classical education, the school offers a tuition-free K–12 program that blends rigorous academics with a strong focus on character and virtue.
At the heart of Nova’s philosophy is the belief that education should cultivate both the mind and the character of its students. Following the classical model of the trivium—grammar, logic, and rhetoric—the curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, deep reading, and clear communication. Students are challenged to not only master content but also to engage in thoughtful discussions and apply what they learn to real-world situations.
The school is home to nearly a thousand students across its Lower School (K–5) and Upper School (6–12). Class sizes are intentionally kept manageable, particularly in the younger grades, allowing teachers to provide individual attention while maintaining high expectations. As students advance into middle and high school, they are offered a wide range of advanced coursework, including Advanced Placement classes, with many graduates going on to excel in selective colleges and universities.
Nova Classical’s commitment to excellence is reflected in its results. Its Lower School ranks among the top elementary programs in Minnesota, with reading and math scores far above state averages. The Upper School maintains equally strong academic outcomes, boasting graduation rates in the mid-90s and high success rates on AP exams. The Minnesota Department of Education has recognized Nova as a High-Quality Charter School, underscoring its academic reputation.
The student body is diverse, with about 40 percent of students identifying as minorities, and families come from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Admission is open to all, determined by lottery rather than selective testing, ensuring broad access to its programs. As a charter school, Nova is tuition-free but does require uniforms, which helps foster a sense of unity and community.
Located at 1455 Victoria Way in St. Paul, Nova’s campus houses the entire K–12 program under one roof. The facilities, supported by the Friends of Nova Classical Academy, reflect the school’s growth and its mission to provide students with the resources they need to thrive.
Today, Nova Classical Academy continues to uphold its founding vision: to educate students in a way that strengthens both intellect and character, preparing them to lead thoughtful, virtuous, and engaged lives.
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