The state Department of Education on Monday designated 48 schools as "Celebration" schools - the cream of a second tier of schools that receive federal poverty aid and posted student achievement gains in 2013.
Twenty-seven of the schools are in the seven-county metro area, and include nine in the St. Paul and Minneapolis school districts.
Charter schools also made a strong showing on the list.
About a quarter of the state's 2,200 public schools receive federal poverty funds, and for the past two years they have been ranked in five categories: Reward, Celebration, Continuous Improvement, Focus and Priority. The ranking system is the product of the state's waiver from No Child Left Behind, the federal law that many educators criticized as overly punitive.
Reward schools are in the top 15 percent of Title I schools, and "Celebration eligible" schools represent the next 25 percent. This year, 166 Celebration eligible schools accepted the state's invitation to apply for Celebration status by documenting efforts they've used to boost student achievement.
"Schools for many years have felt penalized," Josh Collins, a state Department of Education spokesman, said Monday. "They're happy to be recognized on the positive side. That's been fun."
In a statement, Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said: "Minnesotans should be proud of the work going on in our schools. I look forward to continue learning about their successful efforts to ensure all students succeed and share that work with other schools across the state."
The metro area schools include:
