Benjamin E. Mays Access/Admission Policy 

March 2021

Benjamin E. Mays is an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) school. Our school helps students gain skills to think critically, communicate, research, ask questions and take action in the world around them. IB/PYP teachers lead students through transdisciplinary units, at a high level of inquiry-based rigor. The IB/PYP program strives to help students develop an international perspective and become productive global citizens through challenging instruction. The expectation is that all students will embody the attributes of the Learner Profile to become: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective. 

IB students at Mays participate yearly in a grade level IB Showcase. Fifth grade students are required to participate in IB Exhibition (the culminating collaborative experience in the final year of a Primary Years Programme).

Benjamin E. Mays follows the St. Paul Public Schools placement criteria and admission policies. 

Saint Paul Public Schools is divided into 5 different areas A - F. Benjamin E, Mays is a Regional Magnet School which means that we provide transportation to 4 out of the five areas: Areas A, B, C, E, F (serving all areas except area D).  All residents of St. Paul can apply, but only those within the 4 service areas will receive transportation.  

Preschool gives priority enrollment consideration based on income guidelines, home language and/or special education.  

Priority is given to those who apply by the priority application deadline (March 5, 2021). A Friday in late February or early March is selected as the priority application deadline and the date is posted and included in application materials.

Admission Priorities

This information outlines the way students are placed at schools based on the choices selected by their families on their school application. The rules below are based on layers of factors that prioritize keeping families together; encourage learning closer to home; and provide programs and services that help achieve more racial and socio-economic diversity in our schools. 

If the number of applications exceeds the number of spaces available, the following layers of priorities are used to determine school placement.Students with siblings who currently attend the requested school will receive priority within each of the following categories. Siblings need to attend the same school at the same time in order to receive sibling priority.

Community School Zone (CSZ):Priority is given to students who live within a school's Community School Zone so that as many students as possible from that neighborhood are enrolled in the school.

Area: Priority will be given to students who live within the identified Area (A, B, C, E and F).

Regional: Priority will be given to students requesting entrance to Mays when Mays is identified as a Regional Magnet school option for their address. 

Out of District: Students living outside the city of Saint Paul will be admitted to district schools, if space allows.

Open Enrollment: Open enrollment enables students who live in Saint Paul to attend schools outside of the school district and students who live outside the school district to attend a school in Saint Paul. Space availability and school district policies may impact whether a student's open enrollment request is granted. Students living in Saint Paul generally receive preference for admission into Saint Paul Public Schools. An Open Enrollment form must be submitted and can be emailed to spc@spps.org or faxed to 651-632-3704.