3005 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Stay clear from this school!!!!! The best way to picture the dynamics is to compare it to the scene in Mean Girls when the school turns into a jungle. This school is poorly ran, the current principal and higher up staff are a joke for lack of better word. There are fights every single day, horrible behavioral problems with the students and little to no action from staff. My child has had so many issues in this school and the staff is non-responsive until you're pretty much cussing them out. This school is a mess! Unless you have absolutely no other options do not send you child here!

I have taught at South for over 25 years. The demographics have changed dramatically over that time, but the staff's dedication to learning has not. We are a school that prizes diversity and social justice. We have extremely active theatre, music, arts and sports programs. If you're looking for a school with a "place" for your unique talents, this is the learning environment for you

This school is not what it seems. Beware of any school where the tours are like a drive-thru McDonalds. You don't get to really dwell and see the quality of instruction. Teachers very old school at the front of the room. Not progressive by any stretch. The environmental is trivial or almost non-existent. It was there for a few years and was really a great part of the day. Now it's gone rather mysteriously. They had this incredible greenhouse and that is not running either. Lots of smoke and mirrors about kids going outside, blah, blah, blah. They don't go out much. Kids are sequestered in their rooms- hardly mix with other classes. Bummer for the kids. Principal and other administration are routinely rude and dismissive to parents that are not valuable to them. It's pretty white bread. I would not put my child there if you value creativity, academic excellence, joy of learning. The place exudes a stay away vibe. Notice the windows to classrooms are papered over. Vice principal is absolutely lacking in social skills. Sent me packing to a charter school.

This school has been forgotten by the district ever since they started it. The guy who created the school created it so that our indigenous children had a school of their own where their culture would be prioritized within their education and school life. It has been a home for many of the students that go there, and former students often visit and speak well of their school. The principal is an indigenous woman (the ONLY indigenous woman principal in the district) who is very dedicated to her role as a leader. She is very close to the families and is always ensuring that her school is well run and her students are well taken care of. The district has done a poor job of supporting their school, and they receive many incompetent teachers who are not dedicated to their children or their job. The staff that works there are like a family and treat their students and families as such. The staff that have been there for a long time are very dedicated to their students. They have a lot of struggling children and families, and they do everything in their power to help them through whatever it is that they need. They offer free clothing, jackets and snow pants if the kids need them. They do so much to uplift their children and prepare them for the next school that they will attend. They deal with a lot of issues, and therefore met a lot of challenges. But no matter the challenge, I have seen the staff there go above and beyond to do right by their students. The district doesn't help much that I've seen, even not getting them their own building that they promised 20 YEARS ago. This school is amazing and so is the staff, they are constantly looking out for everyone. They do end up with incompetent teachers that the district sends them. I wish better for this school.