With strong attendance and good behavior, the largest racial group in St. Paul Public Schools doesn’t get much attention.

But the mediocre academic performance of St. Paul’s Asian-American students deserves a closer look, a group of Asian-American school and central office administrators says.

“A lot of our teachers have said that our Asian students are sitting very quietly in class, but they’re not learning,” Lisa Thao, a special-projects coordinator for the school district’s equity office, told the school board recently.

Thao and others, including four Asian-American school principals, began meeting as the Asian Affinity Group in January 2014, determined to address sagging achievement among Asian-American students, who make up 31 percent of all students in the district. (About two-thirds are Hmong, followed by Karen and several other ethnic groups)

Among the positive indicators for the students are that they have the lowest rates of suspension and chronic absence, and their graduation rate is slightly better than the district average.

But test scores paint a less flattering picture.

On last year’s Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, just 38 percent of St. Paul’s Asian-American students were proficient in math, compared with 59 percent of Asian-American students statewide. Their reading proficiency was 29 percent, compared with 51 percent for the state.

And judging by the ACT scores of last year’s seniors, Asian-American students as a group are less ready for college than any other racial group in the district: Girls averaged a score of 17, boys 18. Nationally, the ACT average for Asian-Americans was 23.5 last year.

Across the United States, school board member Chue Vue said, Asians are “doing really well, but not in St. Paul.”

Thao said some believe that English-learning Karen students are being pushed too quickly into mainstream classes, while Hmong students aren’t being challenged enough.

In interviews later, two high school principals acknowledged those concerns.

Harding principal Doug Revsbeck said the pace of study for Karen students is a common conversation. He said the students need extra support because they typically arrive in the United States lacking experience in a formal school setting.

“At the same time, in high school, those students are expected to meet a very high standard,” he said.

Complicating those concerns, Karen students who immigrate as teenagers face the prospect of turning 21 years old and being dropped from high school before they can graduate if the school holds them too long in noncredit-bearing, sheltered language classes.

The conversation is different for Hmong students, who typically need little or no English language support because they were born in Minnesota.

“(Their parents) want their kids to be in the mainstream as soon as possible,” said Mike McCollor, principal at Washington Technology Magnet School.

Efe Agbamu, assistant superintendent for multilingual learning, said it’s likely Hmong students are being overidentified for English language learning services and the district is re-evaluating the criteria it uses to move students in and out of the programs.

The school board spent more than an hour diving into the data on Asian-American achievement at a recent meeting. No clear solutions emerged, but the low number of Asian-American teachers was identified as a barrier.

The under-representation of Asian-Americans among district employees is even starker than that for African-Americans. Fewer than 10 percent of teachers and building administrators are of Asian descent.

Michelle Walker, the district’s chief executive officer, said administrators have seen the achievement data before, but putting it all together helped her see the Asian-American student narrative in a new way.

“We were presented tonight with some challenging data,” she said. “We know we’re not where we need to be.”

Among the concerns for the district are the 4,000 Asian-American students who have left the district. For every three St. Paul students who enroll in the public school district, one attends a private or charter school or another public district.

Walker called the number “alarming.”

Jackie Turner, the district’s chief engagement officer, said culturally rich Hmong schools are especially attractive to some families. “It’s about: ‘They have staff that look like me. I feel welcome when I come in. I feel like I’m wanted there,’ ” she said.

Josh Verges can be reached at 651-228-2171. Follow him at twitter.com/ua14.

A CLOSER LOOK

Compared with the district average, Asian-American students in St. Paul Public Schools*:

— Are suspended less often — 1 in 125 vs. 1 in 21

— Have better attendance — 1 in 10 miss 10 days of school vs. 1 in 4

— Are less proficient in math — 38 percent pass the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) vs. 39 percent

— Are less proficient in reading — 29 percent pass MCAs vs. 38 percent

— Score lower on the ACT — 18 vs. 20

— Are more likely to graduate high school on time — 78 percent vs. 76 percent

— Are less likely to enroll in college — 58 percent vs. 61 percent

*Data are from the 2013-14 school year.

Sources: St. Paul Public Schools and Minnesota Department of Education

LEAVING THE DISTRICT

About 1 in 4 Asian students living in St. Paul is enrolled outside of St. Paul Public Schools. Where they go:

— Hmong College Prep Academy, 907

— Community School of Excellence, 827

— HOPE Community Academy, 417

— Community of Peace Academy, 330

— College Prep Elementary, 205

— Roseville Area Schools (public), 185

— Achieve Language Academy, 182

— North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale (public), 156

— Urban Academy Charter, 130

— St. Paul City School, 123