Enrollment
442
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270014004749 Charter school
Higher Ground Secondary Academy — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Higher Ground Secondary Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 42
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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+118% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Higher Ground Secondary 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 Secondary Academy reports 442 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 37% 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 37% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 118% above the Minnesota average and 80% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 442 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% 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 Secondary 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 37% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 118% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 69% | — | — |
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
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 118% 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
21.8:1
students per teacher
— 37% above state mean
Top 89% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$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 442 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
64
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 442 Top 69% in Minnesota — larger than 31% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 21.8:1 +37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.3% +118% vs state
NCES ID 270014004749
Student demographics
African American 95.0%
White 3.6%
Asian 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 95.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 442:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 64
Out-of-school suspensions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higher Ground Academy, which includes Higher Ground Secondary 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
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar other schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Minnesota Connections Academy 7-12
Standard public school
3,536 students 35.2:1 students per teacher
Washington Tech Secondary Magnet
Standard public school
1,063 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Humboldt High School
Standard public school
955 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Community School of Excellence
Standard public school
696 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Phalen Lake Hmong Studies Magnet
Standard public school
638 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Adams Magnet Elementary
Standard public school
605 students 16:1 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 Secondary Academy
How many students attend Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
Higher Ground Secondary Academy has 442 students enrolled. It is a other school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Higher Ground Secondary Academy is 21.8:1, which is 37% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
93.3% of students at Higher Ground Secondary Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
The largest demographic group at Higher Ground Secondary Academy is African American at 95.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
Higher Ground Secondary 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.