Hennepin Schools
Minneapolis School Finder Rating
About
About Us
Founded in 2012 as a public charter school, Hennepin Schools offers a rigorous & relevant core curriculum, character education, physical education, & recess every day. They provide an extended day, small class sizes, & computers for each child in the classroom. Their staff, students, & families work together to ensure every child is growing & succeeding on grade level standards. Their motto is “The Journey Begins Here!” & their mascot is the Bumblebee.
Languages spoken by school staff
English, Arabic, Pashto, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Persian, Liberian English
Extra programming
No response from school.
Extracurriculars Offered:
Cultural Extracurriculars, Debate/Speech Clubs, Environmental/Outdoors Clubs, Journalism/Newspaper Clubs, STEM/STEAM Clubs, Sports, Theater, Visual Arts Clubs
Uniforms
Students who attend Hennepin Schools are required to wear uniforms.
How to enroll
To enroll, contact HS Office Manager at (612) 843-5050 or info@hennepinschools.org.
Average student to teacher ratio
Academics
Average
Academic programming
There are no shortcuts to academic success & no excuses for failing to reach it. Hennepin Schools has built a school culture that includes the following features: an extended school day (8:30AM-3:45PM); all-day kindergarten; Saturday school; summer school; small class sizes; double sessions of reading & math every day; & structured recess & daily physical activity.
Their curriculum is culturally relevant & challenging. Teachers spend every Friday afternoon planning lessons & reviewing student work to continually improve.
Academic Programs Offered:
Advanced Instruction, Arts Focused Programming, Personalized Learning, STEM/STEAM
Special education programming
Hennepin Schools has a strong Special Education Department with a low student-to-teacher ratio. Hennepin Schools offers special programming based on students’ Individualized Education Plans. They provide goal-based teaching in mathematics, reading & writing, behavior skills, speech therapy, occupational therapy, developmentally adaptive physical education, & more. The school has a SUN room for students who can benefit from a smaller class size setting & a sensory room. Hennepin provides Extended School Year services to those students who qualify.
Curricula
Hennepin Schools uses Eureka Math & Fish Tank for their mathematics curricula, & 95 Phonics & EL Education for reading.
English language learner programming
The English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Hennepin Schools offers a combination of individual or small group pull-out & push-in instruction to support English language development. Depending on the student’s grade level & their English language skills, ESL services are provided to meet their specific needs. ESL push-in & pull-out services are a part of the school-wide schedule, implemented to provide extra intervention support, in addition to grade-level classroom instructional time. English language teachers & classroom teachers work closely together to plan a teaching program that best meets the language & academic needs of each student. Additionally, the ELL teacher works with students in the mainstream classroom to support their learning in content or mainstream classes. Consistent quiz data informs these classroom sessions.
A combination of strategies is used to teach English, including relevant texts, phonics, oral language skills, cooperative learning, & integrated reading. Hennepin also focuses on the development of the four domains: listening, speaking, reading, & writing that align with WIDA Standards & Can Do descriptors.
Proficiency
3 out of 10 students are performing math at grade level
3 out of 10 students read at grade level
Climate
Below Average
School values
Hennepin Schools’ wish for all their students is to embrace the Three Cs:
1. Confident Learner: Students have a strong academic base. They are confident in their current abilities & their future potential.
2. Caring Community Builder: Students show care in their relationships & care for the community. They work hard to make a positive & lasting impact on their school community, as well as on their city, state, & the world.
3. Cross-Cultural Navigator: Students see cultural diversity as an inherent strength. Through an expansive knowledge of language, culture, & norms across the globe, they will be strong cross-cultural navigators.
Recess
Hennepin Schools staff take student safety very seriously & are trained annually on how to make recess a safe & welcoming experience. In addition, they implement structured recess for students who may need additional training on how to be a caring community in unstructured settings, such as outdoor recess. Structured recess provides students with space & time to learn meaningful social skills, enabling them to fully participate in daily recess activities.
Discipline Policy
Hennepin Schools has embraced the Whole Child Model of discipline in grades K-8. All adults on campus proactively teach positive behavior expectations. When a student is struggling to meet expectations, support is provided. Hennepin looks at behaviors as ways to communicate unmet needs. School staff focus on how to meet mutual goals with students who, at times, may be dysregulated. They are also trained in Conscious Discipline & implement its components into daily instruction. Families have access to their students’ positivity ratios daily using an online app. Teachers & families also regularly communicate both the positive behaviors & areas for improvement, using multiple methods, on a weekly basis.
Teacher retention
Attendance
Discipline
Equity
Average
Equity vision
Hennepin students & staff are Caring Community Builders. They value & care for each & every person in their community. They see the value in differences & the chance to learn from diverse perspectives. They look for common ground in all discussions. They believe that equity does not reduce any individual’s rights. They choose respect over hate. They are cross-cultural navigators. They see the interconnected nature of the world around them & aim to build bridges between & among people.
Hennepin Schools recognizes that each person is unique & belongs to various cultures, & they seek opportunities to learn about them. They do not stereotype or judge others. They are confident learners. They have a good understanding of where they come from & where they want to go in life. They value the opportunity to seek knowledge & they want to learn. They are focused on growth & they choose opportunities to learn & grow every day.
