Enrollment
23
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, MN
Cornerstones Program
Federal NCES profile for Cornerstones Program, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270004502961
👥 S:T ratio 69
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cornerstones Program earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.7:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 66.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Cornerstones Program has class sizes smaller than 89% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cornerstones Program ranks #1 of 4 schools in Buffalo, MN.
School address
District: Meeker and Wright Special Education · Minnesota
NCES ID 270004502961 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cornerstones Program compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cornerstones Program
Cornerstones Program is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Buffalo, Minnesota, enrolling 23 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.7:1, Cornerstones Program is leaner than roughly 89% of Minnesota schools and 51% 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 66.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 23 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 87 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Its district draws 26.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 15 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 23 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students) and Village Ranch Alternative Program (33 students) alongside Cornerstones Program.
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 Cornerstones Program compares
Cornerstones Program on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.7:1 | ▼ 51% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.7% | ▲ 56% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 23 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.7:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
23
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
7.7:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 11% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 65.2 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 78.3%
Two or More 13.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Largest group: White at 78.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Cornerstones Program is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Cornerstones Program Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Village Ranch Alternative Program | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Step Td Program | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wings Alternative Program | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Journeys Alternative Program | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cornerstones Program's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 6.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 4.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~23 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cornerstones Program's federal record.
- Compare Cornerstones Program against another school. Compare schools
- Meeker and Wright Special Education'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 Cornerstones Program
How many students attend Cornerstones Program?
Cornerstones Program has 23 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Buffalo, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cornerstones Program?
The student-teacher ratio at Cornerstones Program is 7.7:1, which is 51% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 51% 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 Cornerstones Program?
66.7% of students at Cornerstones Program are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cornerstones Program?
The largest demographic group at Cornerstones Program is White at 78.3% of enrollment, in Buffalo, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cornerstones Program?
Cornerstones Program has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Cornerstones Program rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Cornerstones Program ranks #1 of 4 schools in Buffalo, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Cornerstones Program a good school?
Cornerstones Program earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% 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 Meeker and Wright Special Education?
Besides Cornerstones Program, Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students), Village Ranch Alternative Program (33 students), and Step Td Program (18 students). See the Meeker and Wright Special Education 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.