Frequently Asked Questions

Start on the home page by entering your address and selecting the grades you are interested in. Once your initial search results populate, you can filter based on transportation, programs offered, cost of tuition, and more. When you are ready, start exploring schools. Click on a school to view their profile. Each profile has detailed information on academic performance, school climate, and equity efforts. You can also find the school’s contact information and enrollment link.

Minneapolis School Finder is equipped with everything you need to get started finding the right school. Check out the Steps to Pick a School to start identifying what factors are important to you and your child.

The enrollment process differs from school to school, but generally enrollment deadlines for the 2025-26 school year will be in February 2025. 

Once you’ve identified a school you want to learn more about, it is often helpful to see the school in person and meet the teachers and staff. Reach out to their enrollment office to set up a tour. Contact information can be found on that school’s profile; click on “Link to enroll” or give them a call at the phone number listed.

Every school in Minneapolis School Finder is here because they want to enroll your student. Although some schools have wait lists for certain grades, many have the space for your child. To find out if a school has an active wait list, reach out to the enrollment contact listed on their Minneapolis School Finder profile.

Children who are at least 5 years old on September 1, 2025 are able to start kindergarten. This means your child may enter kindergarten if they were born on or before September 1, 2020. There are some exceptions of students younger than 5 beginning Kindergarten. To find out if this is an option for your child, reach out to your school.

For families with babies and young children, Parent Aware provides information about childcare and preschool options. 

Minneapolis School Finder is a tool meant to serve parents and families in Minneapolis. Schools are included if they meet one of the 2 criteria:

• Are located inside Minneapolis city limits
• Provide transportation into Minneapolis and opt into participating

If your school meets the above criteria and would like to be included in the next edition of Minneapolis School Finder, please reach out to info@minneapolisschoolfinder.org

The goal of Minneapolis School Finder is to provide information on all schools in Minneapolis, allowing parents and families to find the best fit school for their child. For some, this includes independent (private) schools. Most independent schools in Minneapolis provide tuition assistance, and MinneapolisSchoolFinder.org allows you to filter your search based on a school’s sticker price.

Check out these K12 Family Resources provided by Great MN Schools, which can help you:

• Know if your student is on grade level
• Partner with teachers
• Find summer learning resources
• Connect with someone to help you in more detail

Charter schools are tuition-free schools of choice available to all students in Minnesota. They provide families with an alternative to traditional district public schools, such as Minneapolis Public Schools. Charter schools are open to all students and often offer unique educational programs where students can expect to receive a quality education. Like traditional district public schools, charter schools must employ licensed teachers, offer programming for students requiring special education services, and administer annual statewide assessments.

Alternative schools operate to provide viable educational opportunities for students who have experienced difficulty in the traditional public school system. These schools often serve students who are currently credit deficient, are at risk of becoming credit-deficient, or are re-enrolling in high school.

Magnet schools are MPS schools that provide bussing to the entire city of Minneapolis. They offer a specific theme such as Arts, STEM/STEAM, Dual Language Immersion, Global Studies and Humanities, or Montessori.

An independent school, also known as a nonpublic or private school, is a school that operates independently of a traditional public school district like MInneapolis Public Schools. Like traditional public schools, independent schools are required to provide instruction in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, health, and more. These schools are often associated with religious institutions. Most independent schools require tuition, but almost all provide financial aid. For more information, click here.

Minnesota does not have vouchers for nonpublic school tuition. However, most independent schools provide financial aid.

Online schooling is available across the state of Minnesota. However, Minneapolis School Finder does not currently provide information on online schools.

Students in the state of Minnesota have access to a wide variety of schools. If bussing is a need, we suggest you start by entering your address into MinneapolisSchoolFinder.org to see schools that will provide transportation to your home. Minnesota residents are also welcome to enroll their children in any charter or independent schools, as well as districts outside of their home district.

Open enrollment allows students across the state of Minnesota to have access to schools that are not within their resident district. This program allows students living in one school district to enroll into another. For more information, click here.

Most independent schools provide some form of financial aid. Some schools offer 100% financial aid for students that meet the according criteria. If you are interested in an independent school, we encourage you to reach out to them to see what financial aid is available.

The Minneapolis School Finder Rating (MSFR) is a tool to help families understand & interact with school data, empowering them to advocate for their children’s success. Families, school representatives, & community leaders collectively developed this multi-measure definition of school quality. Each eligible school in the Minneapolis School Finder (MSF) receives a percentage value and a color rating. 

For more details, visit https://minneapolisschoolfinder.org/how-we-calculate-ratings/

The Minneapolis School Finder website is constantly evolving and updated regularly. The Minneapolis School Finder book is published once a year ahead of school enrollment deadlines. Any changes that occur after books are printed will not be reflected. For the most up to date information, refer to MinneapolisSchoolFinder.org.

Most of our metrics have videos detailing what they measure and how to know what quality looks like. You can find these on individual schools’ profiles. To learn more about a specific school’s data, click on the “Performance Rating Detail” button at the bottom of their profile.

Most of the data you see in Minneapolis School Finder is publicly available from  the Minnesota Department of Education. We work with schools to provide any data that is not publicly available. This is particularly crucial for independent schools and alternative high schools, where publicly available data is limited.

Arts-focused programming in education is designed to enhance students’ critical thinking, empathy, and appreciation of the arts. Programs like the Culturally Responsive Arts Education and Spotlight Education aim to improve the quality of arts education and promote equity within the classroom. These initiatives give students chances to explore different cultures and gain useful skills for today’s world.

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program that offers high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses and exams, potentially earning college credit and advanced placement in college courses.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are a sequence of courses that include technical and occupational skills along with core academic knowledge. CTE teaches transferable skills to explore high-demand career options and prepares students for successful adult life.

Credit recovery is a program that helps students earn back credits from classes they didn’t pass, so they can stay on track for high school graduation. It can include online classes, retaking courses, completing packet work, or taking specially designed make-up courses.

College Prep programs help students get ready for college and future careers. Schools offer support and resources, such as workshops and college visits, to guide students through the application process. These programs are meant to strengthen academic skills and prepare students for success after high school.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme is a nonprofit education program. It offers four well-respected international programs for students in elementary, middle, and high school. In Minnesota, the IB program provides a challenging pre-college education that allows students to earn college credits while still in high school through participating schools. The IB program requires schools to be specially qualified, so it’s less common.

Language immersion is a teaching method used in bilingual education where students learn subjects like math, science, and social studies in two languages. One language is the student’s native language (L1), and the other is a second language (L2) that students learn through the immersion program. This approach helps students develop skills in both languages while learning regular school subjects.

Montessori is a child-centered educational approach that encourages hands-on learning and independence, while respecting a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.

Multi-grade classrooms are classes where students from two or more grade levels are taught together by the same teacher. This approach is often used in smaller schools or rural areas, but some larger schools also use it to encourage peer learning and individualized instruction. In these classrooms, lessons are designed to meet the needs of different ages and skill levels, allowing students to learn at their own pace while helping and learning from one another.

Personalized learning is an individualized plan that helps students set goals and track their progress for school, career, and life after graduation. Starting in middle school, students work with teachers or counselors to identify their interests, strengths, and future goals.

Job Shadowing is a short-term experience where students visit workplaces to observe employees and learn about the skills, education, and responsibilities required for different jobs. It helps students explore career interests and plan future goals. Internships are usually short-term work experiences, but can last 40 hours or more, which gives students hands-on practice in a professional setting. They can be paid or unpaid and may or may not count for school credit. Good internships offer meaningful tasks, training, and supervision to help students gain real-world experience in their chosen field.

PSEO, or Post Secondary Enrollment Option, is an academic program that allows high school students, typically in grades 10-12, to take college-level courses and earn dual credits for both high school and college. PSEO courses are commonly delivered by the college. In most cases, PSEO does not cost any money to families or students.

STEM education provides connected learning experiences that help students understand and apply concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Integrated STEM lessons use best practices from each subject to explore real-world questions and problems. When the arts are added, it becomes STEAM education, which combines creativity and design with STEM skills to encourage innovation and critical thinking.

In Minnesota, AP (Advanced Placement) and PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) both allow high school students to earn college credit, but they work differently. AP courses are high school classes that follow a college-level curriculum, and students can earn credit by scoring well on a standardized AP exam at the end of the course. PSEO, on the other hand, lets students take actual college courses—either at a local college or online—while still in high school, earning college credit directly for completing the course. Essentially, AP credit depends on an exam score, while PSEO credit comes from completing real college classes.

AP (Advanced Placement) allows students to take individual college-level courses and earn college credit by passing an exam at the end of the year. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme provides a challenging pre-college education that allows students to earn college credits while still in high school. AP lets you pick individual advanced classes, while IB is a complete program covering multiple subjects with a focus on critical thinking and global perspectives.