St. Croix Preparatory Academy Upper
Stillwater charter region
A classical-charter archetype perched near Wisconsin border suburbs—expect uniform coursework expectations instead of elective breadth typical at Wayzata.
K-12 Rankings · Minnesota · 2026
Best Public High Schools in Minnesota (2026)
Last updated: May 2026 · Sources: Minnesota Department of Education, NCES, US News, College Board / IB Americas
Twin Cities charters and affluent ring ISD schools alternate near the statewide summit. Use MN Report Card subgroup pages whenever graduation snapshots look misaligned with readiness indexes printed on US News profiles.
Top ladder
Charter mix
St. Croix/Nova/Parnassus
Wayzata • Edina • Minnetonka
Suburban comps
High enrollment tiers
Orono + Mahtomedi
Lake districts
Smaller ISD cohorts
MN Report Card
State data
MDE transparency portal
By AI Graduate Editorial Team· Updated May 2026· 9 min read✓Independent Editorial·⊘Not University-Affiliated
🎙️ Student-Interviewed📊 Survey-Backed Data🔒 No Paid Placements📋 Public Data Sources
🔍
Independent Editorial — Not University-Affiliated📊 MDE · NCES · US News · AP & IB disclosures
AI Graduate is an independent editorial organization — we are not affiliated with, funded by, or owned by any university or program. Our rankings are built from public government data, independent research, and direct student/alumni interviews. No school can pay for placement or a higher ranking. Read our full editorial policy →
Interpretation cues
- Charters like Math and Science Academy sit beside Wayzata’s 3,400+ ISD enrollment—culture and transportation differ even when ranks sit adjacent.
- IB-centric schools (e.g., Lakes International) display IB participation prominently on US News pages—consult IBO summaries for breadth.
- Eagle Ridge’s published graduation lag vs readiness score suggests credit mix worth validating on MDE disaggregates.
- ISD 196 (Eagan) illustrates how midsize suburban districts maintain multiple ranked comprehensives concurrently.
- Duluth’s Harbor City underscores how charters outside the metro still appear in statewide summits albeit with modest cohort sizes.
Top 15 — US News ordering
Field values mirror US News Minnesota rankings profile snapshots retrieved May 2026.
| Rank | School | District | City | MN # | Grad | Readiness | Enrollment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | St. Croix Preparatory Academy Upper | St. Croix Prep | Stillwater | MN #1 | 99% | 83.8 | ~375 | Classical-model charter HS |
| #2 | Nova Classical Academy Upper School | Nova Classical | Saint Paul | MN #2 | 97% | 65.5 | ~288 | Classical Liberal Arts HS |
| #3 | Edina Senior High School | Edina PSD | Edina | MN #3 | 95% | 56.9 | ~2,585 | AAA suburban flagship |
| #4 | Minnetonka Senior High School | Minnetonka PSD | Minnetonka | MN #4 | 97% | 70.6 | ~3,482 | Large western lake HS |
| #5 | Math and Science Academy | Math & Science Acad. | Woodbury | MN #5 | 95% | 66.1 | ~384 | STEM-focused charter |
| #6 | Wayzata High School | Wayzata PSD | Plymouth | MN #6 | 95% | 53.2 | ~3,548 | Largest ISD HS in MN |
| #7 | Parnassus Prep School-Rhetoric | Parnassus Charter | Maple Grove | MN #7 | 95% | 56.0 | ~254 | Great Books charter rhetoric stage |
| #8 | Mounds View Senior High School | Mounds View PSD | Arden Hills | MN #8 | 98% | 48.9 | ~1,901 | NE ring suburban comp |
| #9 | Orono Senior High School | Orono PSD | Long Lake | MN #9 | 98% | 67.3 | ~945 | Lake Minnetonka feeder |
| #10 | Eagle Ridge Academy Charter School | Eagle Ridge Charter | Minnetonka | MN #10 | 74% | 51.2 | ~334 | Classical charter; grad snapshot lower |
| #11 | Harbor City International Charter | Harbor City Charter | Duluth | MN #11 | 86% | 45.0 | ~205 | Duluth lakefront charter |
| #12 | Eagan Senior High School | Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan ISD 196 | Eagan | MN #12 | 94% | 45.8 | ~2,202 | ISD 196 powerhouse |
| #13 | Lakes International Language Academy Upper School | LILA Charter | Forest Lake | MN #13 | 96% | 58.7 | ~270 | IB-heavy charter HS |
| #14 | Great River School | Great River Montessori | Saint Paul | MN #14 | 89% | 43.2 | ~269 | Montessori/IB blended MS/HS ladder |
| #15 | Mahtomedi Senior High School | Mahtomedi PSD | Mahtomedi | MN #15 | 97% | 58.4 | ~1,164 | NE lake town ISD comp |
Profiles
What parents say
Paraphrases from r/TwinCitiesParenting, r/Minneapolis, ISD 196 parent groups—not verified research.
Charter commute fatigue“We love Nova’s rigor but shuttle carpools stole every Tuesday evening.”
Wayzata size tradeoff“Three thousand classmates mean guidance counselors forget your name unless you self-advocate week one.”
Mahtomedi calm“Smaller-town Maht keeps AP depth without TikTok-famous hypercompetitive theater.”
Minnesota fiscal context
State special-education cross-subsidies and declining enrollment in Greater Minnesota constrain operating levies—even top suburban districts cite referendum fatigue; review MDE school finance briefings alongside US News composites.
FAQ
How do Minnesota charters affect statewide ordering?
US News mixes independent charter-ledgers (St. Croix Prep, Nova, Math and Science Academy) with ISD comprehensives inside one statewide ladder—reading NCES charter status clarifies governance differences vs Wayzata or Edina zoned feeders.
What does MDE publish for accountability?
The Minnesota Report Card summarizes MCA performance, graduation, and readiness indicators districts must disclose—essential for verifying subgroup trends omitted from headline ranks.
Why does Wayzata remain a benchmarks school?
Wayzata’s enormous enrollment concentrates west-metro biomedical and corporate philanthropy into one campus—the scale yields dozens of concurrent AP/IB-aligned sections each term.
What is Lakes International Language Academy?
LILA is an IB-heavy charter near the Twin Cities exurbs; US News flags IB participation prominently on profile pages—different from STEM-only charters.
How should families weigh Eagle Ridge readiness gaps?
US News prints both graduation percentages and readiness indexes—instances where graduation lags readiness often signal credit-recovery-heavy cohort mixes; drill into MDE disaggregates before relocating.