Enrollment
241
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lakefield, MN
Jackson County Central Middle
Federal NCES profile for Jackson County Central Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 270023102042
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jackson County Central Middle earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Minnesota schools.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.9:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 38.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 241
- students enrolled
Jackson County Central Middle has class sizes larger than 88% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Jackson County Central School Dist. · Minnesota
NCES ID 270023102042 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jackson County Central Middle compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jackson County Central Middle
Jackson County Central Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Lakefield, Minnesota, enrolling 241 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.9:1 is larger than about 88% of Minnesota schools and 39% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.6% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 241 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 283 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #104.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Jackson County Central School Dist. also operates Riverside Elementary (350 students) and Jackson County Central Senior High (332 students) alongside Jackson County Central Middle.
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 Jackson County Central Middle compares
Jackson County Central Middle on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.9:1 | ▲ 39% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 10% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.9:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
241
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% 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
21.9:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 88% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
6.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,593
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.5 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
White 82.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 2.5%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 82.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Jackson County Central Middle is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County Central School Dist., which includes Jackson County Central Middle.
$13,593
Per student
-11%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 61.8%
Federal 11.9%
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 Jackson County Central Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jackson County Central Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pleasantview Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jackson County Central Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar middle 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 (~241 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jackson County Central Middle's federal record.
- Compare Jackson County Central Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson County Central School Dist.'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 Jackson County Central Middle
How many students attend Jackson County Central Middle?
Jackson County Central Middle has 241 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lakefield, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jackson County Central Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Jackson County Central Middle is 21.9:1, which is 39% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jackson County Central Middle?
38.6% of students at Jackson County Central Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jackson County Central Middle?
The largest demographic group at Jackson County Central Middle is White at 82.2% of enrollment, in Lakefield, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jackson County Central Middle?
Jackson County Central Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Jackson County Central Middle a good school?
Jackson County Central Middle earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of 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 Jackson County Central School Dist.?
Besides Jackson County Central Middle, Jackson County Central School Dist. also operates Riverside Elementary (350 students), Jackson County Central Senior High (332 students), and Pleasantview Elementary (170 students). See the Jackson County Central School Dist. 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.