West Side Summit

The mission of West Side Summit school is to empower students to find joy in learning and develop the academic efficacy necessary to prepare them for the rigors of a college education and beyond.

Our vision is to be a proof-point for Minnesota that high academic success for children living in poverty is possible when we hold all students to high expectations and honor their potential for greatness. We strive to change the reality that, in Minnesota, a zip code often determines the quality of education a child receives.

West Side Summit is a free, public charter school serving K-5 students in West Saint Paul.

• Individualized Learning: We have extended our school day and year in order have 25% of our Scholars’ learning time on advanced computer curricula that are adaptive to each Scholar’s learning needs, meaning that every Scholar gets the exact instruction they need, when they need it. Relevant and engaging computer curricula make learning fun and unique to each Scholar.
• Inquiry-based learning: Our passionate, mission-driven teachers constantly work throughout the day with Scholars in small groups to keep instruction individualized. Our emphasis is on inquiry-based learning; we ask Scholars big questions and help them explore the world around them to get the answers.
• Academic efficacy: WSS is pioneering an approach designed to foster the habits, mindsets and skills we believe students must have. Academic empowerment and ownership are necessary complements to scholastic preparation and these assets are critical in achieving our mission of preparing all of our students for success in college and beyond.