Enrollment
251
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · North Mankato, MN
Bridges Community Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bridges Community Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271878002977
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bridges Community Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in North Mankato · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 12.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Bridges Community Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bridges Community Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in North Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878002977 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bridges Community Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bridges Community Elementary
Bridges Community Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in North Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 251 students.
At 15.7:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.0% free-meal eligibility runs 72% below the Minnesota average.
With 251 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 107 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #77, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 502 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Bridges Community Elementary.
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 Bridges Community Elementary compares
Bridges Community Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.0% | ▼ 72% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
251
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 60% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.1%
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
$13,259
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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
White 80.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 4.0%
African American 3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.2, Bridges Community Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Bridges Community Elementary.
$13,259
Per student
-13%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.1%
State 61.4%
Federal 12.5%
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.
How Bridges Community Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Winds Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dakota Meadows Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bridges Community Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,302
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~251 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bridges Community Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bridges Community Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mankato Public School District'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 Bridges Community Elementary
How many students attend Bridges Community Elementary?
Bridges Community Elementary has 251 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in North Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bridges Community Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bridges Community Elementary is 15.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 0% higher 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 Bridges Community Elementary?
12.0% of students at Bridges Community Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bridges Community Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bridges Community Elementary is White at 80.5% of enrollment, in North Mankato, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bridges Community Elementary?
Bridges Community Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Bridges Community Elementary rank among elementary schools in North Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Bridges Community Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in North Mankato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in North Mankato on the city page.
Is Bridges Community Elementary a good school?
Bridges Community Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Mankato Public School District?
Besides Bridges Community Elementary, Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students), Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students), and Prairie Winds Middle School (887 students). See the Mankato Public School District district page for the complete list.
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.