Enrollment
442
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saint Paul, MN
Higher Ground Secondary Academy
Federal NCES profile for Higher Ground Secondary Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270014004749Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Higher Ground Secondary Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #81 of 86
- schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.1:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 93.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Higher Ground Secondary Academy has class sizes larger than 83% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Higher Ground Secondary Academy ranks #81 of 86 schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Higher Ground Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270014004749 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+27% 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
What stands out at Higher Ground Secondary Academy
Higher Ground Secondary Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 442 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 20.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.3% of students qualify for free meals, 118% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 442 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 47 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #39, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 442 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% 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 Academy (525 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 Secondary Academy compares
Higher Ground Secondary 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 | 20.1:1 | ▲ 27% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 118% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 442 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.1:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
442
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 118% 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
20.1:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 83% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
23.1%
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 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
- 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 95.0%
White 3.6%
Asian 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Higher Ground Secondary 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 Secondary 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 Secondary Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Ground Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Higher Ground Secondary Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~442 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Higher Ground Secondary Academy's federal record.
- Compare Higher Ground Secondary 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 Secondary Academy
How many students attend Higher Ground Secondary Academy?
Higher Ground Secondary Academy has 442 students enrolled. It is a public 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 20.1:1, which is 27% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 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 Secondary Academy rank among schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Higher Ground Secondary Academy ranks #81 of 86 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 schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Higher Ground Secondary Academy a good school?
Higher Ground Secondary Academy earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Secondary Academy, Higher Ground Academy also operates Higher Ground Academy (525 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.