Enrollment
525
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270014002719 Charter school
Higher Ground Academy — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Higher Ground Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
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: Higher Ground Academy · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+20% 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
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
Higher Ground Academy reports 525 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 121% above the Minnesota average and 83% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 525 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Higher Ground Academy spends $16,531 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.1% from local sources (property taxes), 80.7% from the state, and 19.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Higher Ground Academy 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.8% | ▲ 121% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 77% | — | — |
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
94.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 121% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 81% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$16,531
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
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
Enrollment 525 Top 77% in Minnesota — larger than 23% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 94.8% +121% vs state
NCES ID 270014002719
Student demographics
African American 93.5%
White 5.7%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 93.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 525:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.9%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higher Ground Academy, which includes Higher Ground Academy.
$16,531
Per student
-22%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo
Standard public school
1,066 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Minnesota Connections Academy K-6
Standard public school
1,017 students 36.7:1 students per teacher
Hmong College Prep Academy Es
Standard public school
988 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Twin Cities German Immersion Chrtr
Standard public school
563 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Nova Classical Academy Lower School
Standard public school
485 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Farnsworth Aerospace Upper
Standard public school
453 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
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 Higher Ground Academy
How many students attend Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy has 525 students enrolled. It is a 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 19.1:1, which is 20% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Higher Ground Academy?
Higher Ground Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.