Highland Park Elementary is a designated International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) school for grades Pre -K to 5. Our students learn to think and act globally as they explore complex issues, take action to solve problems and reflect on what they’ve learned.

We offer specialized coursework in Spanish, art and physical education; we challenge students to explore science by asking questions and exploring problems. We also provide artist-in-residence programs to inspire students in the visual and performing arts. Other learning activities include band, choir, theater, dance, Lego League, Lego Robotics, running club, Destination Imagination, and special-interest teams and clubs. Our entire school staff takes pride in promoting the success of each student, and provides all students with opportunities to see themselves as members of a local, national, and global community.

Initially authorized in 2003, we were the first school in the Midwest to be be designated as a Primary Years Programme School by the prestigious International Baccalaureate organization. This year we are proud to celebrate our 17th year of programme implementation, and we are extremely proud of how far we have come in the past 17 years.  Being an IB school means that our students think globally as they ask questions (inquire), explore issues hands-on, and take action to solve problems.  Also important to the Primary Years Programme is the learner profile.  We embed the learner profile into the curriculum and the school climate.  Students are encouraged to exemplify the learner profile and attitudes on a daily basis in order to become open-minded global citizens.  

The small size of our school makes room for lots of personal attention, and we take warm interest and pride in our students. We offer specialized coursework in art, physical education and Mandarin Chinese.  Some of our additional enrichment activities include band, choir, theater, dance, Lego League, Lego Robotics, Renwable Energy Club, special-interest research teams and other various clubs.

Big-World Focus with Small-School Attention
We’re a school of approximately 400 students, located in the beautiful Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. As a St. Paul magnet school for areas D and F, we welcome all our students and love our diverse community of learners. The size of our school allows us to give students true personal attention while bringing a global perspective to education with the IB-PYP curriculum.