Middle school (grades 6-8) · Apple Valley, MN

Falcon Ridge Middle

Federal NCES profile for Falcon Ridge Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 273239002644
0/100100/10044/100
👥 S:T ratio
28
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
27
📋 Attendance
49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Falcon Ridge Middle earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.

#1 of 3
middle schools in Apple Valley · Resource Index
44
Resource Index · Typical
18.1:1
large classes for Minnesota
27.6%
free-lunch eligible

Falcon Ridge Middle has class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Falcon Ridge Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Apple Valley, MN.

Enrollment

1,088

Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

60.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18.1:1

vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg

+15% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

27.6%

vs 42.8% Minnesota avg

-36% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Falcon Ridge Middle compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Falcon Ridge Middle

Falcon Ridge Middle is a large middle school in Apple Valley, Minnesota, enrolling 1,088 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.6% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,088 students.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.

Against 190 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #48.

Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 363 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan also operates Rosemount Senior High (2,364 students) and Eastview Senior High (2,328 students) alongside Falcon Ridge Middle.

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 Falcon Ridge Middle compares

Falcon Ridge Middle on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Minnesota Minnesota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 18.1:1 ▲ 15% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 27.6% ▼ 36% 42.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,088 top 5% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

18.1:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,088
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible - 36% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher - 15% above state mean
Top 75% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,314
per pupil, district-wide - below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 363 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.5 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 56.4%
Hispanic or Latino 15.7%
African American 11.9%
Two or More 10.0%
Asian 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 63.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 63.1, Falcon Ridge Middle is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, which includes Falcon Ridge Middle.

$14,314
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.5%
State 62.9%
Federal 8.5%

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 Falcon Ridge Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Rosemount Senior High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Eastview Senior High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Eagan Senior High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Apple Valley Senior High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Scott Highlands Middle Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Falcon Ridge Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Falcon Ridge Middle's federal record.

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 Falcon Ridge Middle

How many students attend Falcon Ridge Middle?

Falcon Ridge Middle has 1,088 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Apple Valley, MN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Falcon Ridge Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Falcon Ridge Middle is 18.1:1, which is 15% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Falcon Ridge Middle?

27.6% of students at Falcon Ridge Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Falcon Ridge Middle?

The largest demographic group at Falcon Ridge Middle is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Apple Valley, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Falcon Ridge Middle?

Falcon Ridge Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Falcon Ridge Middle rank among middle schools in Apple Valley?

By Resource Investment Index, Falcon Ridge Middle ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Apple Valley, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Apple Valley on the city page.

Is Falcon Ridge Middle a good school?

Falcon Ridge Middle earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan?

Besides Falcon Ridge Middle, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan also operates Rosemount Senior High (2,364 students), Eastview Senior High (2,328 students), and Eagan Senior High (2,274 students). See the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.