Enrollment
68
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Albert Lea, MN
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed
Federal NCES profile for Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270297003501
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 6
- schools in Albert Lea · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 68.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed has class sizes smaller than 86% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed ranks #3 of 6 schools in Albert Lea, MN.
School address
District: Albert Lea Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270297003501 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Albert Lea, Minnesota, enrolling 68 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.5:1, Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed is leaner than roughly 86% of Minnesota schools and 46% 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 68.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 68 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 101 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 49/100).
Albert Lea Public School District also operates Albert Lea Senior High (1,196 students) and Southwest Middle (486 students) alongside Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed.
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 Early Childhood Sp Ed compares
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 46% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.1% | ▲ 59% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 68 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
68
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 46% below state mean
Top 14% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$15,247
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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 69.1%
Hispanic or Latino 13.2%
Asian 8.8%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 2.9%
Largest group: White at 69.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.3, Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Albert Lea Public School District, which includes Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed.
$15,247
Per student
0%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 69.9%
Federal 12.3%
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 Early Childhood Sp Ed Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Lea Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwest Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hawthorne Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeview Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Halverson Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,196
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~68 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed's federal record.
- Compare Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed against another school. Compare schools
- Albert Lea 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 Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed
How many students attend Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed?
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed has 68 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Albert Lea, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed?
The student-teacher ratio at Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed is 8.5:1, which is 46% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 46% 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 Early Childhood Sp Ed?
68.1% of students at Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed?
The largest demographic group at Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed is White at 69.1% of enrollment, in Albert Lea, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed?
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Early Childhood Sp Ed rank among schools in Albert Lea?
By Resource Investment Index, Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed ranks #3 of 6 schools in Albert Lea, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Albert Lea on the city page.
Is Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed a good school?
Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Albert Lea Public School District?
Besides Brookside Early Childhood Sp Ed, Albert Lea Public School District also operates Albert Lea Senior High (1,196 students), Southwest Middle (486 students), and Hawthorne Elementary (400 students). See the Albert Lea 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.