Enrollment
29
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 273333004657
Elementary Lighthouse — Spring Lake Park, MN
Federal NCES profile for Elementary Lighthouse, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 40
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: Spring Lake Park Public Schools · 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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elementary Lighthouse 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
Elementary Lighthouse reports 29 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 50% 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 50% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% below the Minnesota average and 76% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spring Lake Park Public Schools spends $14,649 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.5% from local sources (property taxes), 61.2% from the state, and 9.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Elementary Lighthouse 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 | 8:1 | ▼ 50% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.5% | ▼ 71% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 29 | top 15% | — | — |
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
12.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% 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
8:1
students per teacher
— 50% below state mean
Top 12% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$14,649
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
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 29 Top 15% in Minnesota — larger than 85% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 8:1 -50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.5% -71% vs state
NCES ID 273333004657
Student demographics
White 58.6%
Two or More 17.2%
Asian 10.3%
African American 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Largest group: White at 58.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spring Lake Park Public Schools, which includes Elementary Lighthouse.
$14,649
Per student
-31%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.5%
State 61.2%
Federal 9.3%
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
- 1,909
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,646
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 558
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Spring Lake Park
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Elementary Lighthouse
How many students attend Elementary Lighthouse?
Elementary Lighthouse has 29 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SPRING LAKE PARK, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elementary Lighthouse?
The student-teacher ratio at Elementary Lighthouse is 8:1, which is 50% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 50% 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 Elementary Lighthouse?
12.5% of students at Elementary Lighthouse are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elementary Lighthouse?
The largest demographic group at Elementary Lighthouse is White at 58.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in SPRING LAKE PARK, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elementary Lighthouse?
Elementary Lighthouse has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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.