Enrollment
524
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270036604110 Charter school
Beacon Academy — Crystal, MN
Federal NCES profile for Beacon Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 42
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Beacon Academy · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+1% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Beacon Academy reports 524 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Minnesota average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 131 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Beacon Academy spends $19,768 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.5% from local sources (property taxes), 84.8% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Beacon Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▲ 3% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 524 | top 76% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,768
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 524 Top 76% in Minnesota — larger than 24% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.9% +3% vs state
NCES ID 270036604110
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 131:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.3%
In-school suspensions 98
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Beacon Academy, which includes Beacon Academy.
$19,768
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Beacon Academy
How many students attend Beacon Academy?
Beacon Academy has 524 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in CRYSTAL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Beacon Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Beacon Academy is 16.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in CRYSTAL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Beacon Academy?
Beacon Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.