Enrollment
525
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Saint Paul, MN
Higher Ground Academy
Federal NCES profile for Higher Ground Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270014002719Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Higher Ground Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #19 of 26
- elementary schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 94.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Higher Ground Academy has class sizes larger than 72% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Higher Ground Academy ranks #19 of 26 elementary schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Higher Ground Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270014002719 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+121% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Higher Ground Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Higher Ground Academy
Higher Ground Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 525 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 94.8% of students qualify for free meals, 121% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 525 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 33 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #27, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 525 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Higher Ground Academy, also runs Higher Ground Secondary Academy (442 students).
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 Higher Ground Academy compares
Higher Ground Academy on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.8% | ▲ 121% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 121% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 72% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$14,192
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 525 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 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
African American 93.5%
White 5.7%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.2, Higher Ground Academy is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higher Ground Academy, which includes Higher Ground Academy.
$14,192
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.1%
State 80.7%
Federal 19.1%
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 Higher Ground Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Ground Secondary Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Higher Ground Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar elementary 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 (~525 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Higher Ground Academy's federal record.
- Compare Higher Ground Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Higher Ground Academy'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 Higher Ground Academy
How many students attend Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy has 525 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Higher Ground Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Higher Ground Academy is 17.5:1, which is 11% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Higher Ground Academy?
94.8% of students at Higher Ground Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Higher Ground Academy?
The largest demographic group at Higher Ground Academy is African American at 93.5% of enrollment, in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Higher Ground Academy rank among elementary schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Higher Ground Academy ranks #19 of 26 elementary schools in Saint Paul, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Higher Ground Academy a good school?
Higher Ground Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Minnesota schools. It is also less 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 Higher Ground Academy?
Besides Higher Ground Academy, Higher Ground Academy also operates Higher Ground Secondary Academy (442 students). See the Higher Ground Academy 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.