Sejong Academy Lower School

Summary:

Sejong Academy Lower School is a public charter elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving 240 students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade. The school has a unique student population, with over 90% of its students identifying as Asian, which is significantly higher than the racial diversity of nearby schools.

Despite its relatively low student-teacher ratio, Sejong Academy Lower School has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Minnesota elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments for Math, Reading, and Science are significantly lower than the state and district averages, as well as the nearby St. Anthony Park Elementary and Great River Elementary, which have 4- and 3-star ratings, respectively. Additionally, Sejong Academy Lower School has a very high percentage of students (over 90%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

The stark contrast in performance between Sejong Academy Lower School and the higher-performing nearby schools highlights the need to further investigate the factors contributing to these differences and explore potential strategies for improvement. Understanding the root causes of the school's challenges, such as curriculum, instructional practices, or student support services, will be crucial for enhancing the educational outcomes for the students at Sejong Academy Lower School, which serves a unique and economically disadvantaged population within the Saint Paul Public Schools district.


Detail:

Public, Charter PK, KG-6

 1885 University Ave. W
       Saint Paul, MN  55104-8888


(651) 301-8722

District: Sejong Academy of Minnesota

SchoolDigger Rank:
690th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,569 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  10.3 Help
Number of students:  251

Racial breakdown:

Asian:
93.6%
Two or more races:
3.6%
White:
1.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  80.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Sejong Academy Lower School ranks worse than 78.3% of elementary schools in Minnesota. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.89. (See more...)
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Compare Details Sejong Academy Lower School is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2022 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.14. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: Asian (93.6%), two or more races (3.6%), White (1.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 80.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sejong Academy Lower School is 10.3. (See more...)
Help
Compare Sejong Academy Lower School employs 24.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sejong Academy Lower School is $14,569.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sejong Academy Lower School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sejong Academy Lower School 690th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Sejong Academy Lower School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:


Sejong Academy of Minnesota:

SchoolDigger ranks Sejong Academy of Minnesota 215th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Sejong Academy Lower School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2016 14.95 746th 848 12.0%
2017 15.99 742nd 853 13.0%
2018 20.00 712th 847 15.9%
2019 48.96 521st 870 40.1%
2021 12.57 746th 869 14.2%
2022 18.00 713th 858 16.9%
2023 11.17 751st 845 11.1%
2024 24.89 690th 881 21.7%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 76.94 29th 242 88.0%
2019 95.00 2nd 239 99.2%
2021 85.50 6th 175 96.6%
2022 57.38 79th 256 69.1%
2023 53.32 101st 276 63.4%
2024 64.59 64th 303 78.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 36.06 531st 728 27.1%
2019 67.58 205th 740 72.3%
2021 29.78 519th 683 24.0%
2022 37.94 437th 663 34.1%
2023 19.25 663rd 774 14.3%
2024 36.42 547th 793 31.0%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 20.49 646th 799 19.1%
2023 14.51 681st 787 13.5%
2024 22.34 656th 809 18.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 46.52 499th 798 37.5%
2021 13.44 690th 784 12.0%
2022 20.15 673rd 808 16.7%
2023 14.85 689th 799 13.8%
2024 28.13 637th 826 22.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Asian students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 28.18 98th 134 26.9%
2019 46.96 73rd 136 46.3%
2021 22.53 59th 88 33.0%
2022 22.46 94th 131 28.2%
2023 18.21 109th 128 14.8%
2024 26.01 112th 154 27.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Sejong Academy Lower School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.11 448th 518 13.5%
2019 26.49 418th 533 21.6%
2021 26.11 404th 521 22.5%
2022 31.14 372nd 520 28.5%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 97.77 1st 109 99.1%
2019 98.16 1st 120 99.2%
2021 92.20 3rd 102 97.1%
2022 88.65 3rd 130 97.7%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.94 288th 401 28.2%
2019 42.10 259th 415 37.6%
2021 44.09 224th 399 43.9%
2022 55.78 152nd 404 62.4%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 41.50 297th 439 32.3%
2022 30.41 346th 467 25.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 11.27 410th 454 9.7%
2022 30.26 345th 476 27.5%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Asian students at Sejong Academy Lower School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.58 88th 108 18.5%
2019 22.74 87th 112 22.3%
2021 24.37 64th 87 26.4%
2022 25.62 78th 110 29.1%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Sejong Academy Lower School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
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Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Thursday, April 16, 2020

Open Quote Ever since the online school started because of the pandemic, I had chances to sit by my kid and learned how the teachers at Sejong Academy work hard to provide their students with high quality education. My son was transferred from a private school to Sejong Academy to learn Korean Language. So far the quality of education at Sejong Academy has been no less than a well recognized private school in Minnesota. Thank you Teachers and Director Dr. Tipka!!! You deserve Five Stars!!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Sejong Academy Lower School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2015 4 2 54 0 0 0 0 0 60
2016 6 1 78 0 0 0 1 0 86
2017 4 7 106 0 0 0 4 0 121
2018 3 9 145 0 0 0 5 0 162
2019 7 13 161 0 0 0 6 0 187
2020 8 8 188 0 0 0 9 0 213
2021 9 8 185 0 0 0 10 0 212
2022 10 2 219 1 0 0 10 0 242
2023 6 2 219 1 1 0 11 0 240
2024 4 2 235 1 0 0 9 0 251

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sejong Academy Lower School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2015 60 7.0 8.5 43.3
2016 86 6.0 14.3 73.3
2017 121 11.9 10.1 90.1
2018 162 15.7 10.2 96.3
2019 187 18.7 9.9 97.9
2020 213 20.6 10.3 93
2021 212 18.3 11.5 89.6
2022 242 23.1 10.4 89.7
2023 240 26.9 8.9 90.4
2024 251 24.1 10.3 80.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sejong Academy Lower School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2015 60 7.0 8.5 43.3
2016 86 6.0 14.3 73.3
2017 121 11.9 10.1 90.1
2018 162 15.7 10.2 96.3
2019 187 18.7 9.9 97.9
2020 213 20.6 10.3 93
2021 212 18.3 11.5 89.6
2022 242 23.1 10.4 89.7
2023 240 26.9 8.9 90.4
2024 251 24.1 10.3 80.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sejong Academy Lower School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $14,569

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sejong Academy Lower School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 521st of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 751st of 845 Elementary schools
 29%
Ranks 418th of 533 Middle schoolsRanks 372nd of 520 Middle schools
 6.9%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Sejong Academy Lower School)63.226.5
 36.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)63.226.5
 36.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Sejong Academy Lower School)47.420.6
 26.8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)47.420.6
 26.8%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Sejong Academy Lower School)90.918.8
 72.2%
   4th Grade Math (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)90.918.8
 72.2%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy Lower School)40.916.1
 24.8%
   4th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)40.916.1
 24.8%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%
6th Grade Math (Sejong Academy Lower School)500
 50%
   6th Grade Math (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)500
 50%
   6th Grade Math (Minnesota)50.539.7
 10.8%
6th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy Lower School)43.833.3
 10.4%
   6th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)43.833.3
 10.4%
   6th Grade Reading (Minnesota)62.853.4
 9.4%
7th Grade Math (Sejong Academy Lower School)27.320
 7.3%
   7th Grade Math (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)27.320
 7.3%
   7th Grade Math (Minnesota)52.137.6
 14.5%
7th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy Lower School)22.736.7
 13.9%
   7th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)22.736.7
 13.9%
   7th Grade Reading (Minnesota)57.545.5
 12%
8th Grade Math (Sejong Academy Lower School)54.27.1
 47%
   8th Grade Math (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)54.27.1
 47%
   8th Grade Math (Minnesota)55.240.1
 15.1%
8th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy Lower School)2550
 25%
   8th Grade Reading (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)2550
 25%
   8th Grade Reading (Minnesota)57.746.4
 11.3%
8th Grade Science (Sejong Academy Lower School)257.7
 17.3%
   8th Grade Science (Sejong Academy of Minnesota)257.7
 17.3%
   8th Grade Science (Minnesota)4329.2
 13.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students187240
 28.3%
African American132
 84.6%
American Indian01
Asian161219
 36%
Hispanic01
Pacific Islander00
White76
 14.3%
Two or More Races611
 83.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients97.9%90.4%
 7.4%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Sejong Academy Lower School

In the 2023-24 school year, 251 students attended Sejong Academy Lower School.

Students at Sejong Academy Lower School are 94% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

Sejong Academy Lower School ranks in the bottom 21.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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