Enrollment
524
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Crystal, MN
Beacon Academy
Federal NCES profile for Beacon Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270036604110Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Beacon Academy earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Crystal · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 43.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Beacon Academy has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Beacon Academy ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Crystal, MN.
School address
District: Beacon Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270036604110 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Beacon Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Beacon Academy
Beacon Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Crystal, Minnesota, enrolling 524 students.
At 15.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.9% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 524 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 327 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #91.
Its student body is led by African American (37%) and White (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 131 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 146 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 524 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Beacon Academy is a single-school charter district, so Beacon Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Beacon Academy compares
Beacon Academy on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▲ 3% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 524 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
524
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 58% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,827
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 131 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
98
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 36.8%
White 35.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
Two or More 12.0%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 36.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.4, Beacon Academy is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Beacon Academy, which includes Beacon Academy.
$16,827
Per student
+10%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.5%
State 84.8%
Federal 14.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~524 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Beacon Academy's federal record.
- Compare Beacon Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Beacon Academy's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Beacon Academy
How many students attend Beacon Academy?
Beacon Academy has 524 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Crystal, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Beacon Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Beacon Academy is 15.4:1, which is 3% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Beacon Academy?
43.9% of students at Beacon Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Beacon Academy?
The largest demographic group at Beacon Academy is African American at 36.8% of enrollment, in Crystal, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Beacon Academy?
Beacon Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Beacon Academy rank among public schools in Crystal?
By Resource Investment Index, Beacon Academy ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Crystal, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Crystal on the city page.
Is Beacon Academy a good school?
Beacon Academy earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Beacon Academy?
None; Beacon Academy is a single-school charter district, and Beacon Academy is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.