We, the families of Minneapolis, urge our school board to allow all Minneapolis students to opt into the Minneapolis public school of their choice.

Minnesota is known for school choice: we were the first in the nation to authorize charter schools, and we adopted a progressive open-enrollment law that allows families to choose the best public school for their students regardless of location.

But within Minnesota, Minneapolis is an outlier. It is currently difficult to impossible for Minneapolis families to enroll their students in MPS schools outside their designated zones. As a result, many families are choosing charters and other districts which capture the funding that our district is losing. 

We believe it is critical for the long-term success of all Minneapolis public schools that we attract and retain our Minneapolis students.

By allowing choice for Minneapolis families within our district, we believe more families will stay in or return to Minneapolis schools. Higher enrollment will benefit all our students, ensuring our children continue to have access to high quality education and enrichment opportunities.

Our request: We ask that the Minneapolis Public School Board amend the CDD passed in 2020 to allow all Minneapolis families to enroll their students in the Minneapolis public school of their choice.

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FAQs

Why should I sign this petition?

• We believe that increasing choice in MPS schools will keep more families in our schools and may encourage families who already left MPS to come back. The more students we can retain and bring back, the more our school communities can thrive for the benefit of all.   

Is it currently impossible to enroll in an MPS school outside your zoned school (other than a magnet school)?

• On paper, yes. The current policy does not allow enrollment outside your zoned school or designated magnet school. In reality, many students have been given quiet, unexplained variances from the policy, while many others have had their requests declined. This has created the impression that there is a secret key that a family needs to uncover to have their choice honored by MPS. This inconsistency erodes trust in MPS as an institution.

What is the current percent of Minneapolis kids who are not attending MPS?

• Over 35% of the city’s entire school-age population (~19,000 students) has left MSP through open enrollment in charter schools, neighboring districts, home schooling and private schools. At some schools, a staggering 75% or more of students are attending schools outside MPS. School-by-school data is available at the MPS data dashboard.
• Looking specifically at high schools in 2024 only ~40% of eligible students (7,000) attended MSP High Schools and ~60% (10,600) left the district. See the table and graph below for more details.

Why are so many families leaving MPS?

• We believe one of the reasons families are leaving is due to lack of ability to choose to attend schools outside of their zone. MPS implemented the Comprehensive District Design (CDD) in 2021 which no longer allowed Minneapolis families to attend MPS schools outside of their zone. By some estimates more than 4,200 students left MPS in the two years following the CDD’s enactment.[1]
• The Chart below shows attendance at all MPS high schools over time. It is easy to see that attendance has declined at most high schools since 2020

Why does it matter how many kids attend MPS schools?

• The district is given money for each student in MPS schools. The more Minneapolis kids we keep in MPS schools, the more money the district has for teachers, support staff and smaller class sizes and provide increased enrichment.

If students are allowed to attend schools outside their zones does that mean there won’t be room for students inside the zone? 

• No, the first priority for a school must remain the students in its zone. Beyond that enrollment should be allowed for other Minneapolis students, and then for students outside Minneapolis up to a school’s actual capacity.

How can you say there is room when we tried to enroll in another Minneapolis school but were told there was no room?

• MPS is capping school capacity numbers to match the number of projected in-zone students for a school, not using the actual capacity of a school. This has led to a frustrating paradox: schools are projecting declining enrollment and having to cut teachers, while there are kids on a wait list who want to go to that school.  

Would this change increase transportation costs significantly?

• No. For high school students, transportation can continue to be via Metro Transit at no to minimal cost for the district. For elementary and middle school students, transportation must be provided by families or via carpools. An exception should be considered for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch and wish to choose a different Minneapolis school that better fits their needs.

What about equity and diversity? Wouldn’t this negatively impact those?

• Minneapolis has an unacceptably high level of segregation due to historical racial covenants and redlining that began in the early 1900s.[2] The CDD’s inflexibility has led to less diverse schools. Allowing students to attend schools in other zones creates an opportunity to restore greater diversity in MPS schools.

Will this change cause some schools to lose significantly more students? 

• Unlikely. Even under current conditions, many families have stayed in MPS schools and we expect they would stay at their current schools even if they had more choice. This change is intended to appeal first and foremost to the 19,000 or more Minneapolis students who are not currently attending MPS schools, but might with greater choice.

Why do you think more families will stay in MPS schools, or return to MPS, if they can attend a school outside of their current zone?

• The drastic drop in students after the CDD was implemented indicates that Minneapolis families want to make choices about which schools their children attend. No two MPS schools are the same, and different families may be interested in different schools for different reasons, such as sports; career and technical programs; student clubs; performing arts; academic programs; fine arts; and many others. If we don’t allow families to make these choices, dropping enrollment shows that families will leave MPS and send their children elsewhere.  

Where can I find more information about MPS enrollment, school size, diversity, test scores and other details?

• Minneapolis Public Schools - School Detail Dashboard
• For data on monthly enrollment numbers at schools see: Period Enrollment - Minneapolis Public School District
• For data on all school building reports including enrollment, utilization and efficiency see: Building Reports - Minneapolis Public School District

 

Where Students go to High School in Each MPS Zone

 

 

 

 

 

 MPS High School Attendance 2019-2024

 

 

 

[1] 'Fiscal crisis' narratives in Minneapolis schools merit interrogation - MinnPost
[2] Mapping the Segregation of Minneapolis - Bloomberg