1 Birch
Grove Community School
PO Box 2242
Tofte, MN 55615
218-663-0170
http://www.birchgroveschool.com
Grades: K-5
Year Opened: 2005
A multi-age classroom, elementary school in far
northern Minnesota designed to provide a rigorous,
well-structured academic program in an area without
a community school. Outdoor education and frequent
work with community members are hallmarks of students’
experiences at the school.
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2 EdVisions
Off-Campus High School
501 Main St.
PO Box 307
Henderson MN 56044
507-248-3101
800-617-7857
http://www.eochs.k12.mn.us
Grades: 7-12
Year Opened: 2006
A unique, project-based online learning model
available statewide, with a focus on students
with disabilities, those living in far rural locations,
and traditional home-schoolers.
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3 Global Academy
4065 Central Avenue Northeast
Columbia Heights, MN 55421
763-404-8200
globalacademy.us
Grades: K-7
Year Opened: 2008
An innovative school with a focus on providing diverse students with an internationally competitive education. The school's academic program is based on the goals of the International Baccalaureate Organization.
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4 Green
Isle Community School
190 McGrann Street
P.O. Box 277
Green Isle, MN 55338
507-326-7144
http://www.greenislecommunityschool.org
Grades: K-6
Year Opened: 2005
A multi-age classroom, elementary school in
far northern Minnesota designed to provide a rigorous,
well-structured academic program in an area without
a community school. Outdoor education and frequent
work with community members are hallmarks of students’
experiences at the school.
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5 Harbor
City International School
332 W. Michigan Street, Suite 300
Duluth, MN 55802
218-722-7574
http://www.harborcityschool.org
Grades Served: 9-12
Year Opened: 2002
VOA-MN’s first authorized public charter
school, Harbor City opened its doors in Fall 2000
to students interested in rigorous academic preparation
for post-secondary education. Aligned with several
successful education models not readily available
in its region (including the International Baccalaureate
Organization and Tempe Preparatory Academy in
Arizona), Harbor City International School graduated
its first entering senior class in 2005.
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6 Kaleidoscope
Charter School
7525 Kalland Avenue
Otsego, MN 55301
763-428-1890
http://www.kaleidoscopecharter.org
Grades: K-8
Year Opened: 2004
An innovative service-learning, project-based
K-8 school with the goal of integrating students,
families, staff, and the larger community in an
environment of dynamic learning and achievement.
Kaleidoscope opened in Fall 2004 and provided
one of the Twin Cities fastest growing western
suburbs with an education option for parents and
students weary of the very large district schools.
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7 KIPP Stand Academy
1601 Laurel Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-287-9700
www.kippminnesota.org
Grades: 5-6 (Expanding one grade per year, will serve grades 5-8 at completion.)
Year Opened: 2009
The first KIPP school to open in Minnesota, KIPP Stand Academy utilizes a rigorous program that seeks to provide students with the academic skills necessary to achieve success at the college level.
8 Metro Deaf School-Minnesota
North Star Academy
*As of July 1, 2009 MetroDeaf School and Minnesota North Star Academy merged into a single PK-12 campus serving students from Minnesota and western Wisconsin
.
1471 Brewster Street
St. Paul, MN 55108
651-224-3995
651-222-0984 tty
651-224-3975 videophone
www.metrodeafschool.org
Grades: PK-12
Year Opened: MDS 1993, MNSA 2004 (2009 as a merged school)
One of the very few dual-language schools in
the nation focusing on traditional English and
American Sign Language (ASL). MN North Star Academy
is open to all high school age students, but primarily
serves a deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing
population in a small, project-based learning
environment. Students at the school received a
grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
in its first year to examine customer service
toward deaf patrons in restaurants and propose
methods for improving that service.
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9 Naytahwaush
Community Charter School
242 Church Street
Naytahwaush, MN 56566
218-935-5025
www.naytahwaush.org
Grades: K-8
Year Opened: 2005
A K-8 school focused on providing students of
the White Earth Reservation with a rigorous academic
curriculum that incorporates and respects traditional
tribal culture, language, and history. An Ojibwe
language and cultural education component is included
in the learning program not available in the traditional
district school.
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10 New
Visions School
1800 2nd Street, NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
612-706-5566
www.newvisionsschool.com
Grades: K-8
Year Opened: 1994
One of Minnesota’s first charter schools,
New Visions contracted with VOA of MN for authorization
in 2004. Serving high populations of low-income,
special needs, and gifted students, New Visions
is one of the most diverse schools in the Twin
Cities, filling multiple needs for families with
few options in the north-eastern neighborhoods
of Minneapolis.
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11 Spectrum
High School
10129 - 181st Avenue Northwest
Elk River, MN 55330
763-241-8703
http://www.spectrumhighschool.org
Grades: 9-12
Year Opened: 2006
Started by a group of parents whose children
attended Kaleidoscope Charter School in neighboring
Rogers, MN, Spectrum High School offers a small,
personalized learning alternative to the large
district high school in Elk River. Mobile computer
labs are a key component of the school’s
integrated technology plan. In addition, service
learning projects and foreign language will be
hallmarks of this high school with a maximum first-year
enrollment of 100 students (growing to 180 over
the next three years).
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12 Studio
Academy
415 16th Street, SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507-529-1662
http://www.studioacademy.org
Grades: 9-12
Year Opened: 2000
Working closely with the community and providing
an arts-integrated curriculum, Studio Academy
is a rare learning environment in southern Minnesota.
Students are involved in a myriad of projects
and some travel a great distance to attend this
public charter school.
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13 TrekNorth
High School
2518 Hannah Avenue, NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
218-444-1888
http://www.treknorth.org
Grades: 9-12
Year Opened: 2003
A high school with a focus on combining Advance
Placement academic coursework with experiential
learning opportunities in both the woods of north
Minnesota and locations around the world. TrekNorth
is unique among high schools in Bemidji and allows
students an opportunity to learn in both the classroom
and the natural environment.
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14 Worthington
Area Language Academy
PO Box 185
Bigelow, MN 56117
507-683-2004
http://www.walacharter.com
Grades: K-8
Enrollment: 64
Year Opened: 2005
One of the emerging communities in Minnesota,
and often one of the least served, is that of
newly arrived Mexican and Latino families living
in rural areas. WALA provides a dual-language
immersion program of Spanish and English to students
in rural southwest Minnesota not available in
any surrounding district schools. While many of
its enrolled students are from families who speak
English as a second language, other residents
are also taking advantage of the opportunity to
expose their K-8 children to a culture and a language
becoming more prominent in their communities.
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