Enrollment
13
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cambridge, MN
Brookside Academy
Federal NCES profile for Brookside Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270741005198
👥 S:T ratio 83
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brookside Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Cambridge · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 4.3:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 65.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Brookside Academy has class sizes smaller than 96% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Academy ranks #1 of 4 schools in Cambridge, MN.
School address
District: Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist · Minnesota
NCES ID 270741005198 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brookside Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brookside Academy
Brookside Academy is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Cambridge, Minnesota, enrolling 13 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4.3:1, Brookside Academy is leaner than roughly 96% of Minnesota schools and 73% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 65.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Minnesota schools, with 13 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 63 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #20.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Two or More (15%) (diversity index 49/100).
The surrounding Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist spends $11,345 per pupil, 26% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 13 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 13 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist also operates Cambridge-Isanti High School (1,582 students) and Cambridge Middle School (607 students) alongside Brookside Academy.
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 Brookside Academy compares
Brookside 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 | 4.3:1 | ▼ 73% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.5% | ▲ 53% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 13 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4.3:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
13
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% 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
4.3:1
students per teacher
- 73% below state mean
Top 4% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$11,345
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 100.0 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 69.2%
Two or More 15.4%
African American 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Largest group: White at 69.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.6, Brookside Academy is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist, which includes Brookside Academy.
$11,345
Per student
-26%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.5%
State 67.5%
Federal 12.0%
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 Brookside Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge-Isanti High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Intermediate School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Primary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Isanti Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brookside Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,582
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other 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 (~13 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~4.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brookside Academy's federal record.
- Compare Brookside Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist'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 Brookside Academy
How many students attend Brookside Academy?
Brookside Academy has 13 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Cambridge, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brookside Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Brookside Academy is 4.3:1, which is 73% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 73% 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 Brookside Academy?
65.5% of students at Brookside Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brookside Academy?
The largest demographic group at Brookside Academy is White at 69.2% of enrollment, in Cambridge, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brookside Academy?
Brookside Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Brookside Academy rank among schools in Cambridge?
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Academy ranks #1 of 4 schools in Cambridge, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cambridge on the city page.
Is Brookside Academy a good school?
Brookside Academy earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of 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 Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist?
Besides Brookside Academy, Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist also operates Cambridge-Isanti High School (1,582 students), Cambridge Middle School (607 students), and Cambridge Intermediate School (536 students). See the Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist 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.