Enrollment
79
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 271878000337
Central High Area Learning Center — Mankato, MN
Federal NCES profile for Central High Area Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 63
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 0
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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-42% 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
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
Central High Area Learning Center reports 79 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% 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 42% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 57% above the Minnesota average and 30% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 132 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% 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 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Central High Area Learning Center 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 | 9.2:1 | ▼ 42% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.4% | ▲ 57% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 79 | top 26% | — | — |
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
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
9.2:1
students per teacher
— 42% below state mean
Top 15% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Per 132 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 79 Top 26% in Minnesota — larger than 74% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 9.2:1 -42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.4% +57% vs state
NCES ID 271878000337
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.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.6
Students per counselor 132:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Central High Area Learning Center.
$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 high schools in Mankato
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 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 9.2:1, which is 42% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 42% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in MANKATO, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High Area Learning Center?
Central High Area Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 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.