American Indian Pathway Schools
MPS offers American Indian best practice and pathway schools, which provide American Indian language and culturally relevant programming that is designed to create a continuous cultural pathway from pre-K through graduation.
Best practice schools are offered as outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID). Best Practice schools are citywide and include transportation. Pathway schools are assigned based on the student's home address, but families may instead choose another best practice school with guaranteed placement under the MOA.
Contact
Indian Education Department
Jennifer Simon
indianed@mpls.k12.mn.us
612‑668‑5432
MPS Enrollment
612‑668‑1840
sps.department@mpls.k12.mn.us
1250 W. Broadway Ave.
Pathway Schools
Elementary School
School Level Pathway Transitions
As your child reaches the final grade at their current school, they will automatically be assigned to the next pathway school listed.
Please note that South High School All Nations Program and other best practice schools are not in the pathway for Northside students, but they can be requested with guaranteed placement through the school request lottery.
| Grade 5 -> Middle School | Grade 8 -> High School |
|---|---|
|
Anishinabe students living in North or Northeast Minneapolis are assigned to Northeast Middle School. |
American Indian students at Northeast Middle School are assigned to Edison High School. |
|
Anishinabe students living in South or Southwest Minneapolis are assigned to Sanford Middle School. |
American Indian students at Sanford Middle School are assigned to South High School (All Nations Program). |
Non-Pathway School Options
Please note that other school options are available. While the current process within MPS is to place students in pathway schools, we want you to know that you have choices. If the American Indian pathway or best practice school is not your top choice, you may choose your community school, a magnet school or another option.
Some choices have limited availability and may require the School Request Lottery.
For the best chance at a non‑pathway school, submit your school request by the first lottery deadline of Feb. 9, 2026 at ExploreMPS.org.
Community School
Your community school is the school assigned to your home address.
You can look it up by entering your address at ExploreMPS.org.
Magnet or other school options
You may also apply to a magnet school, high school program, or contract alternative school available for your child’s grade level. These options are not guaranteed, and you must apply through the school request lottery.