Enrollment
852
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 271878002046
Dakota Meadows Middle School — North Mankato, MN
Federal NCES profile for Dakota Meadows Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 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)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+15% 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
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
Dakota Meadows Middle School reports 852 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 38% below the Minnesota average and 49% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 426 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.7% 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 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Dakota Meadows Middle School 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 15% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.5% | ▼ 38% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 92% | — | — |
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
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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 78% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.7%
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
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
Enrollment 852 Top 92% in Minnesota — larger than 8% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.5% -38% vs state
NCES ID 271878002046
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 426:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.7%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 76
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Dakota Meadows Middle School.
$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
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
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 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 18.3:1, which is 15% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (F) based on 4 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.