Enrollment
241
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 270023102042
Jackson County Central Middle — Lakefield, MN
Federal NCES profile for Jackson County Central Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 85
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: Jackson County Central School Dist. · 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+38% 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
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
Jackson County Central Middle reports 241 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Minnesota average and 25% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jackson County Central School Dist. spends $32,734 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.3% from local sources (property taxes), 61.8% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Jackson County Central 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 | 21.9:1 | ▲ 38% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▼ 10% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 48% | — | — |
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
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
— 38% 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
6.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$32,734
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 241 Top 48% in Minnesota — larger than 52% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 21.9:1 +38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.6% -10% vs state
NCES ID 270023102042
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.2%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson County Central School Dist., which includes Jackson County Central Middle.
$32,734
Per student
+55%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+68%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
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 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 38% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.