Study Gives Hopkins, Robbinsdale Schools Mixed Grades for Achievement Gap

Hopkins students perform better than most in the state—but the difference between white and minority students is also bigger, according to report cards the Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now (MinnCAN) released last month.

MinnCAN, an advocacy nonprofit focused on solving the achievement gap, plugs for more public data-based accountability for schools, looser labor rules governing teachers, and more school choice for parents, including charter schools.

While the state as a whole has a 34.4-point difference between white and black students at the high school level, Hopkins has a 41.2-point difference on average and Robbinsdale has an average 39.8-point gap. The gap was significantly bigger at some other schools. Hopkins' Eisenhower Elementary, for example, had a 56.2 difference. 

The achievement gap is a persistent problem across the state. While Minnesota's public schools excel in test scores, the achievement gaps between white kids and students of color—and low-income and high-income students—are still significantly larger than national averages.

In a March report, the MinnCAN sliced and diced public school data and published "report cards" for every school and district in the state, grading them in five categories:

• Student performance (average percentage of students who are proficient or above across reading and math)
• Subgroup performance (average percentage of low-income, black and Latino students who are proficient or above in reading and math)
• Achievement gap (average difference between the percentage of low-income and minority students and percentage of non-low-income and white students who are proficient or above in reading and math)
• Performance gains (average one-year change among a cohort of students who are proficient in reading and math)
• Four-year cohort high school graduation rates

The news wasn’t all gloom and doom for either district. Hopkins' Gatewood Elementary ranked eighth in the state for Latino performance at the elementary school level. Robbinsdale's Cooper Senior High School snagged first place in the state for Native American student performance.

Click here to take a look at grades for individual Hopkins schools.

Click here to take a look at grades for individual Robbinsdale schools.