Enrollment
74
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbia Heights, MN
Early Childhood
Federal NCES profile for Early Childhood, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270951000011
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Early Childhood earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 5
- schools in Columbia Heights · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 55.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Early Childhood has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Early Childhood ranks #1 of 5 schools in Columbia Heights, MN.
School address
District: Columbia Heights Public School Dist · Minnesota
NCES ID 270951000011 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Early Childhood compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Early Childhood
Early Childhood is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, enrolling 74 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 55.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 74 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 130 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and African American (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.4% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 15.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Columbia Heights Public School Dist also operates Columbia Heights Senior High (1,141 students) and Columbia Academy (719 students) alongside Early Childhood.
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 Early Childhood compares
Early Childhood on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 30% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 74 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
74
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 31% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
1.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$15,723
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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
Hispanic or Latino 51.4%
African American 23.0%
White 18.9%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.5, Early Childhood is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia Heights Public School Dist, which includes Early Childhood.
$15,723
Per student
+3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.9%
State 63.6%
Federal 15.5%
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 Early Childhood Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Heights Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley View Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Park School for Innovation | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Early Childhood's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,141
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~74 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Early Childhood's federal record.
- Compare Early Childhood against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia Heights Public School Dist'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 Early Childhood
How many students attend Early Childhood?
Early Childhood has 74 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Columbia Heights, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Early Childhood?
The student-teacher ratio at Early Childhood is 12.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 22% 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 Early Childhood?
55.6% of students at Early Childhood are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Early Childhood?
The largest demographic group at Early Childhood is Hispanic or Latino at 51.4% of enrollment, in Columbia Heights, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Early Childhood?
Early Childhood has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher 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 Early Childhood rank among schools in Columbia Heights?
By Resource Investment Index, Early Childhood ranks #1 of 5 schools in Columbia Heights, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbia Heights on the city page.
Is Early Childhood a good school?
Early Childhood earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Columbia Heights Public School Dist?
Besides Early Childhood, Columbia Heights Public School Dist also operates Columbia Heights Senior High (1,141 students), Columbia Academy (719 students), and Valley View Elementary (568 students). See the Columbia Heights Public School Dist district page for the complete list.
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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.