PACT is growing!
Less than a year after breaking ground, PACT Charter School opened its doors on September 11, 2023, to an entirely new student experience – a second campus separating the Elementary and Secondary students. The expansion is part of a $41 million project that built a new building and renovated the current structure where PACT has housed K-12 students since moving to Ramsey in 2004.
As a school of choice, PACT is managed by a lottery system and waitlist that has boasted significant numbers since opening in 1994. At the urging of parents, the PACT School Board of Directors decided to expand in 2021 to allow more students to get off the waitlist and into the classrooms. Along with the expansion came the opportunity to broaden program offerings, build extracurricular programs, and increase its reach and reputation in the community. With excitement and support from the Ramsey community, PACT had no problem filling its enrollment openings this year, and it began the 2023-2024 school year with a maxed-out enrollment of 1,087 students and 500 potential students waiting in the wings. PACT also filled all of its new teacher positions and, on day one, were fully staffed and ready to teach!
But the expansion is not over yet. The K-12 enrollment openings will steadily grow each year until PACT reaches its goal of 1,500 students in 2028.
Two Campuses
Elementary Campus
Location
PACT Charter School | Elementary Campus
7250 E Ramsey Parkway NW, Ramsey, Minnesota 55303
The Elementary Campus is located in the 420-acre COR Development near a park, amphitheater, and creek. Many parks and an extensive trail system are readily accessible and connected by a trail network that links The COR to the regional parks and trail system.
Programming
The Elementary Campus serves students in Kindergarten through grade 5. Not to be left behind, the Elementary Campus also received a facelift with a second playground and remodeled classrooms. This allowed for more special classes like music, art, and gym, as well as two daily recesses, and space to grow.
Enrollment
On the Elementary Campus, grades K-2 will double by two sections, and grades 3-5 will gain an extra section in 2023 to increase by 50%. The classrooms will then increase in the years following until we reach four sections for each grade level.
Secondary Campus
Location
PACT Charter School | Secondary Campus
7729 - 161st Avenue Northwest, Ramsey, Minnesota 55303
The Secondary Campus sits on 18 acres between Central Park and the St. Katharine Drexel Church property. It’s located between Armstrong Blvd NW and Variolite Street NW. The parcel has a beautiful line of trees and wetlands and provides a gorgeous backdrop.
Programming
The new Secondary Campus serves as a middle and high school and is less than three miles from their Elementary Campus. The new campus boasts an auditorium, football stadium, track, media center, and industrial art classrooms. It also has a wing just for grade 6 students as a way to transition them more slowly into the middle school environment. There are more electives and exciting offerings such as concurrent college enrollment and more hands-on courses.
Enrollment
PACT Secondary will increase its size by 100% between 2023 and 2028. Grades 6-9 will be expanded by 50-100% in 2023, and each of those grades will feed into the next grade as they advance to the next level until we are at a total capacity of 823 students by 2028.
The Celebrations
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The Project
"Building an ImPACT" Logo
The frame on the left symbolizes the current building. The structure on the right represents the new building. The year 1994 is when PACT was founded, and 2023 will be when the new facility opens, and a new era of PACT Charter School begins! The trees symbolize both the wooded landscape of our new property and the growth of both students and our school as a whole.
Facilities Committee Members
Constructing a facility like PACT's Secondary Campus took grit and determination; here are a few people who made this dream a reality as members of the Facilities Committee (FAC):
Josh Nyquist, FAC Chair, Chief Executive Director
Ben Poidinger, FAC Vice-Chair, Activities Director
Christine Erntson, FAC Secretary, Director of Communication and Community Engagement
Pam Backowski, Grade 6 Teacher
Mike Bjokne, Parent
Jason Busch, School Board Director | Parent
Bridget Canfield, Secondary Language Arts Teacher
Lindsey Ellison, Secondary Support Services Teacher
Julie Grawey, Parent
Brad Lawrence, School Board Treasurer | Parent
Jenelle Moehn, Assistant Director of Elementary Education
Matthew Nelson, Facilities Director
Romelle Pornschloegl, Executive Director of Secondary Education
Paul Scanlon, Executive Director of Elementary Education
Toessawat Suparat, Technology Coordinator