Enrollment
79
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mankato, MN
Central High Area Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Central High Area Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 271878000337
👥 S:T ratio 68
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central High Area Learning Center earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Mankato · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 7.9:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 67.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Central High Area Learning Center has class sizes smaller than 88% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central High Area Learning Center ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878000337 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High Area Learning Center compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central High Area Learning Center
Central High Area Learning Center is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 79 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Central High Area Learning Center is leaner than roughly 88% of Minnesota schools and 50% 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 67.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 79 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 97 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #21.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 132 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Central High Area Learning Center.
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 Central High Area Learning Center compares
Central High Area Learning Center on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.9:1 | ▼ 50% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.4% | ▲ 57% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 79 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
79
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 50% below state mean
Top 12% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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 50.6%
African American 17.7%
Two or More 15.2%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 50.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.0, Central High Area Learning Center is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Central High Area Learning Center.
$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 Central High Area Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Winds Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dakota Meadows Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central High Area Learning Center'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 high 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 (~79 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central High Area Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Central High Area Learning Center 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 Central High Area Learning Center
How many students attend Central High Area Learning Center?
Central High Area Learning Center has 79 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High Area Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High Area Learning Center is 7.9:1, which is 50% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 50% 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 Central High Area Learning Center?
67.4% of students at Central High Area Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High Area Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Central High Area Learning Center is White at 50.6% of enrollment, in Mankato, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High Area Learning Center?
Central High Area Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central High Area Learning Center rank among high schools in Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Central High Area Learning Center ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Mankato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Mankato on the city page.
Is Central High Area Learning Center a good school?
Central High Area Learning Center earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Mankato Public School District?
Besides Central High Area Learning Center, 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.