NEW BRIGHTON, MN REALTOR · LOCAL GUIDE
LIVING IN NEW BRIGHTON
New Brighton has deep roots for a first-ring suburb. Immigrants from Britain and France settled a small village here in 1858, and it was incorporated in 1891 and named after Brighton, Massachusetts. Not long before that, the Minneapolis Stockyards and Packing Company set up here in 1888, and the city still celebrates that cattle-town past every August with Stockyard Days — a parade, live music, a softball tournament and the finish of an antique car run, all centered at Long Lake Park.
The outdoor anchor is Long Lake Regional Park on Old Highway 8, with a guarded swimming beach in summer, a boat launch, a fishing pier, picnic shelters and more than three miles of paved trails through woods and wetlands, including a boardwalk. The park also holds the New Brighton History Center and ties into the Rice Creek trail system, and Rice Creek itself flows through the northern part of the city. Long Lake is a glacial lake, formed when a leftover chunk of ice melted in place.
Getting around is easy. Interstates 35W and 694 meet in New Brighton, which puts downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul each roughly a 15- to 25-minute drive depending on traffic, with Roseville’s shopping and the University of Minnesota close by as well. The city’s boundaries are a bit irregular — I-35W cuts through it — so it’s worth knowing exactly which side of the freeway a home sits on.
Neighborhoods range from homes near Long Lake and Rice Creek to streets that grew up as families moved out from Northeast Minneapolis over the 20th century. That variety is what makes New Brighton a good fit for a lot of buyers, from first homes to move-up houses, and it’s why I look at each home on its own merits.
NEW BRIGHTON AT A GLANCE
Population: 23,454
Size: 7.1 sq mi
Incorporated: 1891
Schools: Mounds View & ISD 282
Lakes: Long Lake
Commute: I-35W · I-694
County: Ramsey
Summer festival: Stockyard Days
Drive to MSP Airport: about 30 minutes (17 miles), off-peak
Drive to Downtown Minneapolis: about 20 minutes (9 miles), off-peak
Drive to Downtown St. Paul: about 20 minutes (13 miles), off-peak
NEW BRIGHTON SCHOOLS
Most of New Brighton is served by Mounds View Public Schools (ISD 621). The district has schools inside the city, including Bel Air and Sunnyside elementary schools, Highview Middle School and Irondale High School, which opened in 1967. A smaller portion of the city, on the east side, is served by the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District (ISD 282).
Because New Brighton is split between two districts, I always confirm the district for a specific address before you make an offer — it’s one of the first things I check.
What the percentages mean: the percentage beside each school below is the share of New Brighton’s children of that school’s age who live in its attendance area — ages 5–10 for elementary, 11–13 for middle and 14–17 for high school (about 1,788, 863 and 1,064 children in the 2020 Census). District percentages use all children ages 5–17. It shows where the city’s kids are assigned; it is not a test score or a rating. Students per grade is each school’s 2025–26 enrollment divided by the number of grades it serves.
School districts serving New Brighton: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 93% of the city’s school-age children; St. Anthony-New Brighton (ISD 282) — about 7% of the city’s school-age children.
HOW NEW BRIGHTON’S SCHOOL DISTRICTS COMPARE STATEWIDE
Mounds View (ISD 621): reading 56% and math 55% proficient on the 2025–26 state tests — test-score rank #58 of 326 Minnesota districts; 4-year graduation rate 91% (class of 2025), #169 of 317
St. Anthony-New Brighton (ISD 282): reading 59% and math 55% proficient on the 2025–26 state tests — test-score rank #47 of 326 Minnesota districts; 4-year graduation rate 90% (class of 2025), #188 of 317
Proficient = share of tested students who met or exceeded Minnesota’s grade-level standards (MCA, MTAS and Alternate MCA, all tested grades). Test-score rank = position among Minnesota school districts (charter schools not included) by the average of reading and math proficiency; school ranks compare each school with all Minnesota public schools at the same level. Ranks are calculated by Minnesota Chuck from Minnesota Department of Education data and are not an official state rating.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SERVING NEW BRIGHTON
Bel Air & Pike Lake elementary schools: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 61% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 1–5, about 148 students per grade; reading 58%, math 65% proficient (2025–26), #210 of 893 Minnesota elementary schools
Valentine Hills & Pike Lake elementary schools: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 20% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 1–5, about 143 students per grade; reading 57%, math 55% proficient (2025–26), #306 of 893 Minnesota elementary schools
Sunnyside & Pike Lake elementary schools: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 12% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 1–5, about 103 students per grade; reading 40%, math 50% proficient (2025–26), #523 of 893 Minnesota elementary schools
Wilshire Park Elementary: St. Anthony-New Brighton (ISD 282) — about 7% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades K–5, about 118 students per grade; reading 64%, math 67% proficient (2025–26), #145 of 893 Minnesota elementary schools
MIDDLE SCHOOLS SERVING NEW BRIGHTON
Highview Middle School: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 78% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 6–8, about 292 students per grade; reading 50%, math 42% proficient (2025–26), #114 of 264 Minnesota middle schools
Edgewood Middle School: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 13% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 6–8, about 210 students per grade; reading 42%, math 42% proficient (2025–26), #140 of 264 Minnesota middle schools
St. Anthony Middle School: St. Anthony-New Brighton (ISD 282) — about 9% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 6–8, about 149 students per grade; reading 62%, math 49% proficient (2025–26), #53 of 264 Minnesota middle schools
HIGH SCHOOLS SERVING NEW BRIGHTON
Irondale High School: Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 75% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 9–12, about 450 students per grade; reading 42%, math 40% proficient (2025–26), #159 of 435 Minnesota high schools; 4-year graduation 92%
Irondale or Mounds View High School (choice): Mounds View (ISD 621) — about 19% of New Brighton’s children that age
St. Anthony Village High School: St. Anthony-New Brighton (ISD 282) — about 7% of New Brighton’s children that age; grades 9–12, about 190 students per grade; reading 44%, math 43% proficient (2025–26), #127 of 435 Minnesota high schools; 4-year graduation 90%
Sources: Minnesota Department of Education, School Attendance Areas, SY2025-26; Minnesota Department of Education 2025–26 assessment results and graduation rates (Minnesota Report Card); U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census (children by age, by census block); Minnesota Department of Education 2025–26 enrollment. Boundaries can change, so confirm the assigned school with the district for a specific address.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What school district is New Brighton, MN in?
Most of New Brighton is in Mounds View Public Schools (ISD 621), which runs Irondale High School, Highview Middle School and Bel Air and Sunnyside elementary schools in the city. A smaller part of New Brighton is served by the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District (ISD 282), so it’s worth confirming the district for any specific address.
What county is New Brighton in?
New Brighton is in Ramsey County, in the north part of the Twin Cities metro. It borders Arden Hills, Mounds View, Shoreview, Roseville, St. Anthony, Fridley, Columbia Heights and a corner of Minneapolis. Interstates 35W and 694 meet inside the city, which makes it one of the more central places to live in the north metro.
How far is New Brighton from Minneapolis, St. Paul and MSP Airport?
Driving from the center of New Brighton at off-peak times, downtown Minneapolis is about 9 miles (roughly 20 minutes), downtown St. Paul is about 13 miles (roughly 20 minutes) and MSP Airport is about 17 miles (roughly 30 minutes). Rush-hour traffic adds time, and drives vary with which part of New Brighton you start from.
What is there to do in New Brighton?
Long Lake Regional Park is the big draw, with a swimming beach, boat launch, fishing pier, picnic shelters and more than three miles of paved trails. The park connects to the Rice Creek trail system and is home to the New Brighton History Center. Every August the city hosts Stockyard Days, its annual community festival.
Is New Brighton a good place to buy a home?
New Brighton offers a close-in location at the I-35W and I-694 crossroads, a large regional park on Long Lake, and homes from many different eras. If you’re weighing a move, I can walk you through the neighborhoods, confirm the school district for each address and run the numbers so you buy or sell with confidence.
NEARBY CITIES I SERVE
Arden Hills · Mounds View · North Oaks · Blaine · Vadnais Heights · Circle Pines · Lexington · Lino Lakes · White Bear Lake · Centerville
Thinking about buying or selling in New Brighton? Use the form at the top of this page, or call or text me at 763-218-2573. — Chuck Glasser, Realtor®, RE/MAX Results