MDE Announces Celebration Schools

Information in this post was provided by the Minnesota Department of Education (Released December 16, 2013.)

MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..
MDE logo retrieved online 12/17/13..

ROSEVILLE – Today, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced that 48 schools are being designated as Celebration Schools. This year, 166 schools were eligible and applied for the honor.

“I want to congratulate these schools for this incredible accomplishment,” said Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “Minnesotans should be proud of the work going on in our schools. I look forward to continue learning about their successful efforts to ensure all students succeed and share that work with other schools across the state.”

The Celebration school designation is part of Minnesota’s federal accountability system that replaces No Child Left Behind. Under Minnesota’s program, schools are assigned a Multiple Measurement Rating (MMR) based on students’ proficiency and growth, as well as a school’s progress towards reducing achievement gaps and increasing graduation rates. The state’s Title I schools—those serving racially and ethnically diverse student populations with high levels of poverty—qualify for designations if they are top performers.

Celebration-eligible schools are the 25 percent of schools directly below those designated as Reward schools (the top 15 percent of Title I schools). These schools are then able to apply for Celebration status by documenting what efforts they are using to increase student achievement. MDE selects schools based on their ability to effectively document best practices that have led to student success to receive the Celebration school recognition. Celebration-eligible schools are identified annually.

The schools chosen as Celebration schools this year are:

School Name/District Name (CMLE schools are highlighted in red)

  • Adelante College Preparatory Academy/Hiawatha Academies
  • Anthony Middle School/Minneapolis Public School District
  • Aurora Middle School/Aurora Charter School
  • Cokato Elementary/Dassel-Cokato Public School District
  • Comfrey Elementary/Comfrey Public School District
  • Dover-Eyota Elementary/Dover-Eyota Public School District
  • Fieldstone Elementary School/St. Michael-Albertville School District
  • Forest Hills Elementary/Eden Prairie Public School District
  • Garden City Elementary/Osseo Public Schools
  • Garlough Environmental Magnet/West St. Paul-Mendota Hts-Eagan
  • Global Academy
  • Harding Senior High/St. Paul Public School District
  • Hayfield Elementary/Hayfield Public School District
  • Hiawatha Leadership Academy/Hiawatha Academies
  • Karlstad Elementary/Tri-County School District
  • Kennedy Elementary/Mankato Public School District
  • Kenny Elementary/Minneapolis Public School District
  • KIPP Minnesota Charter School
  • Lancaster Elementary/Lancaster Public School District
  • Lincoln International School
  • Linwood Elementary/Forest Lake Public School District
  • Linwood Monroe Arts Plus Upper/St. Paul Public School District
  • Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial Elementary/Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial
  • Long Prairie Elementary/Long Prairie-Grey Eagle School District
  • Magelssen Elementary/Fosston Public School District
  • Marcy Open Elementary/Minneapolis Public School District
  • Memorial High School/Ely Public School District
  • Minnehaha Elementary/Lake Superior Public School District
  • Naytahwaush Community School
  • New Millennium Academy Charter School
  • Northrop Elementary/Minneapolis Public School District
  • Oak Grove Elementary/Bloomington Public School District
  • Oak Hills Elementary/Lakeville Public School District
  • Oak Point Intermediate Elementary/Eden Prairie Public School District
  • Park Brook Elementary/Osseo Public School District
  • Partnership Academy, Inc.
  • Pine Island Middle/Pine Island Public School District
  • Pratt Elementary/Minneapolis Public School District
  • Raven Stream Elementary/New Prague Area Schools
  • Riverside Elementary/Brainerd Public School District
  • Rossman Elementary/Detroit Lakes Public School District
  • Solway Elementary/Bemidji Public School District
  • St. Charles Elementary/St. Charles Public School District
  • Swanville Elementary/Swanville Public School District
  • Taylors Falls Elementary/Chisago Lakes School District
  • Twin Cities International Elementary School
  • Waite Park Elementary/Minneapolis Public School District
  • Washington Tech Secondary Magnet/St. Paul Public School District