# Saint Agnes School (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Saint Agnes School is a Private, Roman Catholic PreK-12 School in the Frogtown Neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and is affiliated with the Church of St. Agnes in Saint Paul.

## Background

Right after the construction of the Church of Saint Agnes by Austrian Immigrants in 1887, Saint Agnes School was established in 1888 as a Catholic and Parochial school. Students were taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. As of today (2025), the school stands as the only Catholic and Parochial school left in Frogtown, and it takes students from Pre-Kindergarten all the way until 12th Grade in a classical Liberal Arts Education.

### Historic event

Saint Agnes School, after 120 years of its existence, was soon close down. Circa 2002, Saint Agnes School's student count was 600. In 2007, its student count was 425. That year, the school's diocese notified Saint Agnes that it may be not be viable due to declining enrollment and its debt of over $1,000,000. Two unidentified individuals gave $2,600,000 to help the school pay its debts off entirely. By 2012 its enrollment was at 553, with 26% of them being of ethnic backgrounds other than non-Hispanic white.

## Academics

Saint Agnes High School is fully accredited by the National Catholic Education Association, is a member of The National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools, is a part of the Catholic Schools of the Archdiosese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, is a premier member of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, had been awarded the Catholic Education Honor Roll from 2018 to 2023, and is recommended and recognized by the Cardinal Newman Society's Newman Guide for Catholic Education.

## Fine arts

Saint Agnes has a long-standing choral tradition that coincides with its Catholic identity. The Saint Agnes Concert Chorale performs several concerts a year and tours extensively. It also participates in state competitions regularly receiving superior ratings. On almost a yearly basis, singers from the school are selected to participate in the All-State Choirs.
The Saint Agnes School band program cultivates independent musicianship through various group and solo playing experiences. The curriculum, which includes listening, analyzing, composing, and performing, aims to develop musicians via creation, response, and performance evaluation. It serves students in grades 5–12, with band available to grades 5-8 and by audition for grades 9–12."
Saint Agnes provides classes for Studio Arts such as Drawing, Painting, Photojournalism, Portfolio Preparation, and Sculpturing. These classes seek to provide students to skills required to see the beauty of art and its techniques.
Saint Agnes has a variety of ways to allow creative expression in the performing arts via its Drama Club, One-Act Plays, and the Spring Musical. Students in Grades 1 & 6 are also allowed to participate by the school's yearly rendition of the Passion Play.

## Athletics

Saint Agnes School is a school (Section 4A) that is mainly a member of the Skyline Conference of the Minnesota State High School League, but Saint Agnes does participate in other conferences of MSHSL. Saint Agnes collaborates with other schools for slightly more niche sports such as hockey, swimming, alpine skiing, and lacrosse.
Boy's athletics includes baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, hockey, soccer, track and field, and wrestling.
Girl's athletics includes basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, hockey, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball.

## State titles

* Basketball 1994
* Baseball 2001, 2011/2012