Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Education reports that there are 2,097 public schools in the state with 893,875 K-12 students enrolled. There are 58,315 public school teachers in Minnesota, with an average of 15 years of experience statewide. Minnesotans also have the option of attending one of the state’s 160 public charter schools, with 62,751 PreK-12 students enrolled.

Minnesota school districts use an open enrollment program, which means that families can apply to a traditional public school that’s outside of their district. Since no two public schools are the same, this option enables families to find the best school for their children. Over 86,000 Minnesota students use this school choice option.

For nonpublic school options, private schools and homeschooling are also available. Since private schools charge tuition, Minnesota parents may be eligible for certain tax deduction programs. The state has 458 nonpublic schools with 65,738 students enrolled. Additionally, there are 20,201 homeschooled children in the state.

References:

https://public.education.mn.gov/MDEAnalytics/Summary.jsp

https://education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/nphs/

How Minnesota Scores on School Choice

Every state sets its own school choice rules, and Minnesota is no exception. The NWEF School Choice Index scores Minnesota on 17 measures, from open enrollment to education savings accounts, then ranks it against all 50 states. Open any category below to see where Minnesota earns points and where it falls short.

Minnesota

Rank #24 of 50

Growing

Minnesota scores well on online learning. Its biggest gaps are charter school access and private-school options like ESAs and vouchers.

Scored from state law · as of August 2026

Minnesota

How Minnesota Scores on School Choice

Open Enrollment 30/55

Charter Schools 0/5

Private Options 5/15

Homeschooling 10/15

Online Learning 10/10

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