Education in the US State of Minnesota comes from a number of public and private sources and encompasses pre-Kindergarten to post-secondary levels. Minnesota has a literate and well-educated population; the state ranked 13th on the 2006–07 Morgan Quitno Smartest State Award, and is first in the percentage of residents with at least a high school diploma. But while more than 90% of high school seniors graduated in 2006, about 6% of white, 28% of African American, 30% of Asian American and more than 34% of Hispanic and Native American students dropped out of school. In 2007 Minnesota students earned the highest average score in the nation on the ACT exam. While Minnesota has chosen not to implement school vouchers, it is home to the first charter school, the City Academy High School of Saint Paul.
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The state supports a network of public universities and colleges, including 32 institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, and five major campuses of the University of Minnesota. It is also home to more than 20 private colleges and universities, six of which rank among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News & World Report.
K-12
Public education in Minnesota is administered by School Districts and falls under the umbrella of the Minnesota Department of Education. Most School districts in the state are designated as "independent" and derive their authority from the Minnesota Legislature.
49 Minnesota high schools were ranked by Newsweek in their 2013 list of the best 1000 public high schools in America Edina High School was the top ranked Minnesota school and was 121st in the nation with a 99% graduation rate, 0.9 average AP/IB test score, and 96% college-bound rate.
All students
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Federal involvement
Minnesota schools adhere to federal guidelines like those outlined in No Child Left Behind.
The United States Congress provides 6% of operating revenue for K-12 education in the state.