Enrollment
251
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 271878002977
Bridges Community Elementary — North Mankato, MN
Federal NCES profile for Bridges Community Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 32
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: Mankato Public School District · 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-8% 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
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
Bridges Community Elementary reports 251 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 72% below the Minnesota average and 77% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 502 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mankato Public School District spends $17,270 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.1% from local sources (property taxes), 61.4% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Bridges Community Elementary 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.0% | ▼ 72% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 49% | — | — |
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
12.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 72% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 51% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.1%
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
$17,270
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 502 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 251 Top 49% in Minnesota — larger than 51% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.0% -72% vs state
NCES ID 271878002977
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 502:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Bridges Community Elementary.
$17,270
Per student
-18%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,302
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
Similar elementary schools in North Mankato
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Bridges Community Elementary
How many students attend Bridges Community Elementary?
Bridges Community Elementary has 251 students enrolled. It is a 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 14.6:1, which is 8% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 8% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in NORTH MANKATO, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bridges Community Elementary?
Bridges Community Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.