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Saint Paul, Minnesota - 2 schools
An equity score of 66/100 ranks Higher Ground Academy #87 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,192 per pupil, Higher Ground Academy ranks #254 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,052
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$14,192
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Higher Ground Academy operates 2 public schools serving 1,052 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Ramsey County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,192 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 0.1% local, 80.7% state, and 19.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 66/100, ranked #87 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 483.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.3% African American, 4.7% White, 1.0% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Higher Ground Academy, enrolling 525 students (54% of the district's total enrollment).
Higher Ground Academy accounts for 49.9% of all Higher Ground Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Higher Ground Academy a distant remainder — means Higher Ground Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Higher Ground Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 94.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Higher Ground Academy student-counselor ratio is 484:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Higher Ground Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 23.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Higher Ground Academy is typically wider than the Higher Ground Academy-aggregate figure suggests.
Higher Ground Academy has 2 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,052 students.
How much does Higher Ground Academy spend per student?
Higher Ground Academy spends $14,192 per student. The district has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #87 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy students are 94.3% African American, 4.7% White, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #87 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.