Enrollment
508
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270030904261 Charter school
Best Academy — Minneapolis, MN
Federal NCES profile for Best Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
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: Best 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+112% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Best 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
Best Academy reports 508 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 90.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 112% above the Minnesota average and 75% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 254 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 68.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Best Academy spends $25,694 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.5% from local sources (property taxes), 80.1% from the state, and 19.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), 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 Best 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 | 15:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.8% | ▲ 112% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 508 | top 75% | — | — |
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
90.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 112% 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
15:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 55% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
68.3%
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
$25,694
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 254 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 508 Top 75% in Minnesota — larger than 25% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 15:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 90.8% +112% vs state
NCES ID 270030904261
Student demographics
African American 93.3%
Two or More 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 93.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 254:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 68.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Best Academy, which includes Best Academy.
$25,694
Per student
+22%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.5%
State 80.1%
Federal 19.4%
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 in Minneapolis
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Yinghua Academy
Standard public school
851 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Twin Cities International Schools
Standard public school
595 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Burroughs Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Set Academy Elementary
Standard public school
463 students 110.3:1 students per teacher
Hiawatha College Prep - Northrop
Standard public school
438 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Hiawatha Leadership Acdy-Northrop
Standard public school
404 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
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 Best Academy
How many students attend Best Academy?
Best Academy has 508 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Best Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Best Academy is 15:1, which is 6% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Best Academy?
90.8% of students at Best Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Best Academy?
The largest demographic group at Best Academy is African American at 93.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Best Academy?
Best Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) 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.