Enrollment
399
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elk River, MN
Handke Center- Ec Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Handke Center- Ec Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271137004181
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Handke Center- Ec Special Education earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Minnesota schools.
- #10 of 19
- public schools in Elk River · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 23.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Handke Center- Ec Special Education has class sizes larger than 80% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Handke Center- Ec Special Education ranks #10 of 19 public schools in Elk River, MN.
School address
District: Elk River Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271137004181 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Handke Center- Ec Special Education compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Handke Center- Ec Special Education
Handke Center- Ec Special Education is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Elk River, Minnesota, enrolling 399 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 399 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 409 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #342, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Elk River Public School District also operates Rogers Senior High (1,888 students) and Elk River Senior High (1,562 students) alongside Handke Center- Ec 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 Handke Center- Ec Special Education compares
Handke Center- Ec 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 45% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 399 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
399
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 80% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$12,659
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 89.5%
African American 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 89.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.6, Handke Center- Ec Special Education is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk River Public School District, which includes Handke Center- Ec Special Education.
$12,659
Per student
-17%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 61.0%
Federal 7.6%
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 Handke Center- Ec Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Elk River Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rogers Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie View Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie View Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Handke Center- Ec Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 40.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,562
- Students per teacher
- 30.6:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 53.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 953
- Students per teacher
- 45.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~399 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Handke Center- Ec Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Handke Center- Ec Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Elk River Public School 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 Handke Center- Ec Special Education
How many students attend Handke Center- Ec Special Education?
Handke Center- Ec Special Education has 399 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Elk River, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Handke Center- Ec Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Handke Center- Ec Special Education is 19:1, which is 20% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Handke Center- Ec Special Education?
23.6% of students at Handke Center- Ec Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Handke Center- Ec Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Handke Center- Ec Special Education is White at 89.5% of enrollment, in Elk River, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Handke Center- Ec Special Education?
Handke Center- Ec Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: 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 Handke Center- Ec Special Education rank among public schools in Elk River?
By Resource Investment Index, Handke Center- Ec Special Education ranks #10 of 19 public schools in Elk River, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Elk River on the city page.
Is Handke Center- Ec Special Education a good school?
Handke Center- Ec Special Education earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of 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 Elk River Public School District?
Besides Handke Center- Ec Special Education, Elk River Public School District also operates Rogers Senior High (1,888 students), Elk River Senior High (1,562 students), and Rogers Middle School (1,077 students). See the Elk River Public School 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.