Enrollment
64
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wadena, MN
Early Childhood Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Early Childhood Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270001403670
👥 S:T ratio 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Early Childhood Special Education earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 7
- schools in Wadena · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 43.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Early Childhood Special Education has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Early Childhood Special Education ranks #3 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN.
School address
District: Freshwater Education District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270001403670 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Early Childhood Special Education compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Early Childhood Special Education
Early Childhood Special Education is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wadena, Minnesota, enrolling 64 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.9% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 64 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 127 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 43/100).
Its district draws 30.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Freshwater Education District also operates Freshwater Education District Alc (101 students) and Leaf River Academy (15 students) alongside Early Childhood Special Education.
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 Special Education compares
Early Childhood Special Education on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▲ 3% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 64 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
64
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 35% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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 73.4%
Hispanic or Latino 17.2%
African American 4.7%
Two or More 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Largest group: White at 73.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Early Childhood Special Education is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
How Early Childhood Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Education District Alc | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leaf River Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| White Pine Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Elm Tree Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Early Childhood Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 15
- Students per teacher
- 5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- 5.5:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~64 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Early Childhood Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Early Childhood Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Freshwater Education 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 Early Childhood Special Education
How many students attend Early Childhood Special Education?
Early Childhood Special Education has 64 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Wadena, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Early Childhood Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Early Childhood Special Education is 12.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 18% 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 Special Education?
43.9% of students at Early Childhood Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Early Childhood Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Early Childhood Special Education is White at 73.4% of enrollment, in Wadena, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Early Childhood Special Education?
Early Childhood Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Early Childhood Special Education rank among schools in Wadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Early Childhood Special Education ranks #3 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wadena on the city page.
Is Early Childhood Special Education a good school?
Early Childhood Special Education earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Freshwater Education District?
Besides Early Childhood Special Education, Freshwater Education District also operates Freshwater Education District Alc (101 students), Leaf River Academy (15 students), and White Pine Academy (11 students). See the Freshwater Education 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.