Attending a concert at this fine school I was deeply impressed with a tour and explanation of the…read moreprograms and achievements of this institution. In a beautiful setting in a scenic St Paul neighborhood there is a large parking lot with school next to the church. I have relations that attend this place and they are thriving. The music program, which I saw, is very professional providing a great variety of different music genres which surprised me. A jazzed up version of the Sesame Street theme would have Ella Fitzgerald beaming.

This church and school is tucked away on a side street in the heart of the Highland Park area in…read moreSaint Paul. They offer reconciliation before each daily mass , which is offered twice a day Monday through Friday. They have a vibrant community and plenty of activities for all age groups. If you are new to the area, this is a great community with lots of opportunities to meet good hearted people!

The Best school ever I went to the school a couple years ago and all of the teachers are nice and…read moreall of the students are nice especially the science teacher EDDIE F

Used to be a great school. Always near the top in test scores, great teachers, wonderful community…read moreinvolvement. But this year a new sheriff rode into town. She's a first time principal and seems to feel a need to make her mark on a school that was superb before she arrived. First thing she did was to ban the annual dance because student's feelings might get hurt. We've been having the dance for years and I seriously doubt that anyone's feeling have gotten hurt. That's more a junior high and high school thing. Next she banned high fives and handshaking, again because people might get hurt. When I was in school we had classes in etiquette that included shaking hands, but I guess she feels she knows what's best for our children. Lately, she has removed the door between a busy hallway and the girls bathroom because of an act of vandalism. Apparently she feels that exposing a couple of hundred girls to the eyes of any passerby when they're in the bathroom is an appropriate punishment for an act of vandalism by one student. Group punishment rarely works - can only work if the group knows who the offender is - and should never be used to shame and embarrass children about using the bathroom. When asked about her decision she replied that she wasn't punishing anyone, she just removed the door. Looking for a great school? You're a few years too late for this one.

Very mid... This…read moreschool is very meh. The education is good but but all of the people there seem wacky. Not a huge fan of the crowd at CDH. They are very loud and cliquey. A lot of gossip and drama happens and it's a lot. But that's with any high school you go to.

We came here to help deliver meals on wheels on thanksgiving day…read more I think I would have loved being a HS student here. All stone and old unlike my mid 60's faux ranch style HS...

Great staff! My son was new there this year and all of the teachers and students were so nice and…read morewelcoming! His teachers are all great and the free breakfast in the morning is a bonus!

Minnehaha Academy is a traditional college preparatory school that offers pre-K to grade 12…read moreeducation. MA has two beautiful campuses on the bluffs of the Mississippi River with spacious grounds, with about 12 acres each. MA, like many east coast prep schools, was founded by Protestants from Europe. Opening in 1913, the school is affiliated with the Covenant Church (a historic branch the Lutheran Church that is now a separate denomination). MA has a strong commitment to faith with weekly chapel services and taking a traditional approach to teaching religion by having specific religious classes and bringing the topic of religion into other classes as well. This is done with other subjects as well, since many of the humanities and sciences overlap--for example you could have a discussion in history class about science or literature; in this way the student is able to understand the whole story from multiple angles and gain a deeper understanding of the world. The schools commitment to academics is extraordinary, boasting one of the best AP programs in the state, and if the class doesn't have an AP test then the school offers alternatives such as the College in the Schools program where students take a class from the University of Minnesota from one of their teachers and earn college credit. The school has also partnered with various scientific institutions to send a project to the International Space Station each year, joining only two other high schools in the nation that have this honor. The language department is also very excellent offering French, Latin, Spanish and Chinese; all of which start out at high school levels (open to middle school students) and go through college levels. The teachers are highly educated and care very deeply about the students and for many, remain mentors throughout their time at the Academy and their future. Most of the teachers hold masters or doctorate degrees in their area of study. The community of students is kind and caring for each other, and many long lasting friendships are formed. The school also has excellent food and offers breakfast and lunch. MA has a head and sous chef who create healthy and delicious meals and snacks for the students. Breakfast generally has cereal, scones, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, bacon, et cetera. Lunch offers a salad bar, made to order options, homemade soups and various options including fresh carved pork, turkey, pastas and chicken. The chefs are friendly and take student suggestions seriously and work hard to make the best food possible. The school is also very devoted to the arts and has a entire fine arts center that includes a woodshop, dark room, art room, pottery studio, band room, orchestra room, private practice rooms, art gallery, scene shop, costume shop, concert hall/theater. The school features several performance ensembles including a Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Men's Choir, Women's Chorale, Concert Choir and Madrigal singers. Each ensemble has earned top marks at state. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir go on tour, alternating year to year. The tour locations have included: Prague, Slovakia, Salzburg, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Washington D.C., Chicago among other locations. In the year the ensembles are on break from the tour, they put on variety shows: the bands perform the pops concert and the choirs perform a medieval dinner. The school puts on three plays: musical, play and student run show; each has one various state and sometimes national awards. The school also has top notch athletic facilities including separate soccer and football fields, a full size ice arena, two full size gyms, wrestling room and a weight room. MA's athletic teams have won a combined 4 state championships in the past decade alone and provide very supportive C, JV, and Varsity teams. The school also has many organizations and academic teams. The Debate team, which I captained during my time is one of the state's best, being the only school to have a pair of debaters go to the varsity finals back to back (my partner and I), bringing home a state championship and a 2nd place trophy. The school also offers clubs centering around the environment, music, literature, journalism and writing. The school newspaper and yearbook have won various national awards for journalism, photography, layout, overall achievement, etc. MA really helps students achieve and builds a strong foundation for college through curriculum, advanced academics, supportive staff, and graduation requirements that are similar to most colleges. Many of the students attend private 4 year institutions including St. Olaf, Carlton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Boston College, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago, Northwestern and more. Minnehaha Academy has nurtured the minds of some of Minnesota's best students. MA goes farther than the other prep schools in Minnesota: it truly is the place where youth meet truth.

From the owner: The original incorporation from 1905 stated: "The purpose of this institution shall be to furnish…read moreyoung men and women with the essential elements of a liberal education, and to foster the development of character under the personal influence of Christian teachers." On Monday, Sept. 15, 1913, Minnehaha Academy welcomed its first class of high school students. Grades 7 and 8 were added in 1972. In 1981, the land for the South Campus was purchased and a chapel was erected. By 1982, the Lower School served students in Grades 1 through 5. Kindergarten was added in 1985 and preschool in 1995. Students graduate from Minnehaha Academy prepared to excel in any number of fields. Some of our alumni include inventors, a Supreme Court Justice, Authors, War Veterans, an Olympian, Musicians, and many others in notable careers.

My kids attend this school. The fence is for security and we don't allow dogs on the campus because…read moreof pee and feces. Humans are welcome on campus through certain gates when school is not in session. Academically the school is very strong and most teachers are great. Kids are driven and interested in a wide range of activities. It's ridiculously expensive and that is a definite turn off, so for that reason I'm glad they're almost done. But as an alum, the school is strong and stronger than it used to be. We also live very close to the school so I appreciate that my kids can bike there. Both my kids are going to very good colleges and while not perfect, I'm glad I went there, my kids went there and I am glad to know so many parents who volunteer.

My family lives 3 blocks from STP. The school takes up a vast city block, which, if resources were…read morebetter allocated, could be a welcome resource to the surrounding community- there are baseball fields, sledding hills, and great pathes for running. Instead of engaging with the local community- and despite benefiting from the community's tax dollars- STP has ensured that none but their students have access to "their" land by erecting a large ugly fence. The fence's ugliness is an apt visual representation of the slice of attendees that I get to see each school day: entitled parents or their entitled teenage children speeding through our neighborhood, running stop signs in their BMWs and Audis and recklessly endangering other people in their desperate hurry to wait in the long drop-off line. STP advertises itself as inclusive, stating that it is raising "tomorrow's leaders," which is both an ironic- inclusivity RARELY involves fences- and doubtful claim, given that true leadership almost never grows from within a culture of privilege and willful selfishness. St Paul is absolutely festooned with great schools that are not only free but actively demonstrate the values of inclusion, equity and justice. Notably, these schools do not have fences to keep out tax payers, and they usually work to engage the surrounding community. Given the wide availability of good schools, I find it hard to understand what could possibly draw STP families other than proximity to other rich white people and the daily ego-massage of being assured your offspring are "special." When I see STP cars speeding down Davern every morning- the drivers oblivious to anything or anyone outside their german-made cocoons- this definitely looks like the case.