Enrollment
399
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 272124001868
Dowling Elementary — Minneapolis, MN
Federal NCES profile for Dowling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 57
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: Minneapolis 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-2% 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
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
Dowling Elementary reports 399 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Minnesota average and 35% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Minneapolis Public School District spends $26,112 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.2% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Dowling Elementary 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.7% | ▼ 21% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 64% | — | — |
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
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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 60% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$26,112
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 399 Top 64% in Minnesota — larger than 36% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.7% -21% vs state
NCES ID 272124001868
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Minneapolis Public School District, which includes Dowling Elementary.
$26,112
Per student
+24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,521
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,257
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,195
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Minneapolis
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Yinghua Academy
Standard public school
851 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Twin Cities International Schools
Standard public school
595 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Best Academy
Standard public school
508 students 15:1 students per teacher
Burroughs Elementary
Standard public school
481 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Set Academy Elementary
Standard public school
463 students 110.3:1 students per teacher
Hiawatha College Prep - Northrop
Standard public school
438 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
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 Dowling Elementary
How many students attend Dowling Elementary?
Dowling Elementary has 399 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dowling Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dowling Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 2% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 2% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dowling Elementary?
Dowling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.