Enrollment
399
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Minneapolis, MN
Dowling Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dowling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 272124001868
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dowling Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools.
- #14 of 42
- elementary schools in Minneapolis · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 33.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Dowling Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dowling Elementary ranks #14 of 42 elementary schools in Minneapolis, MN.
School address
District: Minneapolis Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272124001868 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dowling Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dowling Elementary
Dowling Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, enrolling 399 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21:1 is larger than about 86% of Minnesota schools and 33% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.7% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 399 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 448 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #98.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 62/100).
17.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Minneapolis Public School District spends $21,154 per pupil, 39% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Minneapolis Public School District also operates Washburn High (1,521 students) and South High (1,257 students) alongside Dowling Elementary.
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 Dowling Elementary compares
Dowling Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21:1 | ▲ 33% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.7% | ▼ 21% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
399
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
21:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 86% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$21,154
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 57.1%
African American 19.8%
Two or More 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.3%
Asian 1.3%
Largest group: White at 57.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.7, Dowling Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Minneapolis Public School District, which includes Dowling Elementary.
$21,154
Per student
+39%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.2%
State 50.3%
Federal 18.5%
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 Dowling Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southwest High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Andersen Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dowling Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,521
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,257
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,195
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary 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 (~399 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dowling Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dowling Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Minneapolis 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 Dowling Elementary
How many students attend Dowling Elementary?
Dowling Elementary has 399 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Minneapolis, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowling Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowling Elementary is 21:1, which is 33% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dowling Elementary?
33.7% of students at Dowling Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dowling Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dowling Elementary is White at 57.1% of enrollment, in Minneapolis, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowling Elementary?
Dowling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dowling Elementary rank among elementary schools in Minneapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Dowling Elementary ranks #14 of 42 elementary schools in Minneapolis, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Minneapolis on the city page.
Is Dowling Elementary a good school?
Dowling Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Minneapolis Public School District?
Besides Dowling Elementary, Minneapolis Public School District also operates Washburn High (1,521 students), South High (1,257 students), and Southwest High (1,195 students). See the Minneapolis 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.