Enrollment
393
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270012303350
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle — Howard Lake, MN
Federal NCES profile for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 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: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted · 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle 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
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle reports 393 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Minnesota average and 53% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 328 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 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted spends $16,430 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.6% from local sources (property taxes), 60.6% from the state, and 9.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle 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 | ▲ 19% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.3% | ▼ 43% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 64% | — | — |
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
24.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
— 19% 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
$16,430
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
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 328 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 393 Top 64% in Minnesota — larger than 36% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.3% -43% vs state
NCES ID 270012303350
Student demographics
White 90.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 0.8%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 90.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.2
Students per counselor 328:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, which includes Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle.
$16,430
Per student
-22%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.6%
State 60.6%
Federal 9.7%
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
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 213
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 28
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
Similar elementary schools in Howard Lake
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle
How many students attend Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle?
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle has 393 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in HOWARD LAKE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle is 19:1, which is 19% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle?
24.3% of students at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle?
The largest demographic group at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle is White at 90.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOWARD LAKE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle?
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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.