Enrollment
852
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · North Mankato, MN
Dakota Meadows Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Dakota Meadows Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 271878002046
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dakota Meadows Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in North Mankato · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 26.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Dakota Meadows Middle School has class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dakota Meadows Middle School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in North Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878002046 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dakota Meadows Middle School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dakota Meadows Middle School
Dakota Meadows Middle School is a large middle school in North Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 852 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 92% of state schools at 852 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 316 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #230, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 426 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Dakota Meadows Middle School.
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 Dakota Meadows Middle School compares
Dakota Meadows Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.5% | ▼ 38% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
852
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 74% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 426 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 76 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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 75.8%
African American 8.8%
Two or More 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 75.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.8, Dakota Meadows Middle School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Dakota Meadows Middle School.
$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 Dakota Meadows Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie Winds Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rosa Parks Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dakota Meadows Middle School'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
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle 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 (~852 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dakota Meadows Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Dakota Meadows Middle School 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 Dakota Meadows Middle School
How many students attend Dakota Meadows Middle School?
Dakota Meadows Middle School has 852 students enrolled. It is a middle school in North Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dakota Meadows Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dakota Meadows Middle School is 17.8:1, which is 13% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dakota Meadows Middle School?
26.5% of students at Dakota Meadows Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dakota Meadows Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Dakota Meadows Middle School is White at 75.8% of enrollment, in North Mankato, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dakota Meadows Middle School?
Dakota Meadows Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dakota Meadows Middle School rank among public schools in North Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Dakota Meadows Middle School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in North Mankato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in North Mankato on the city page.
Is Dakota Meadows Middle School a good school?
Dakota Meadows Middle School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Mankato Public School District?
Besides Dakota Meadows Middle School, 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.