Enrollment
9
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Howard Lake, MN
Journeys Alternative Program
Federal NCES profile for Journeys Alternative Program, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270004504351
👥 S:T ratio 82
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Journeys Alternative Program earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Howard Lake · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 4.5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 9
- students enrolled
Journeys Alternative Program has class sizes smaller than 95% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Journeys Alternative Program ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Howard Lake, MN.
School address
District: Meeker and Wright Special Education · Minnesota
NCES ID 270004504351 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Journeys Alternative Program compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Journeys Alternative Program
Journeys Alternative Program is a small elementary school in Howard Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 9 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 4.5:1, Journeys Alternative Program is leaner than roughly 95% of Minnesota schools and 72% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Minnesota schools, with 9 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Two or More (22%) (diversity index 49/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 55.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students) and Village Ranch Alternative Program (33 students) alongside Journeys Alternative Program.
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 Journeys Alternative Program compares
Journeys Alternative Program on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 4.5:1 | ▼ 72% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 9 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
4.5:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
9
Bigger than 1% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
4.5:1
students per teacher
- 72% below state mean
Top 5% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
55.6%
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.1 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 66.7%
Two or More 22.2%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
Largest group: White at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.4, Journeys Alternative Program is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Journeys Alternative Program Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Village Ranch Alternative Program | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cornerstones Program | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Step Td Program | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wings Alternative Program | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Journeys Alternative Program's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 33
- Students per teacher
- 6.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 7.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary 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 (~9 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Journeys Alternative Program's federal record.
- Compare Journeys Alternative Program against another school. Compare schools
- Meeker and Wright Special Education'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 Journeys Alternative Program
How many students attend Journeys Alternative Program?
Journeys Alternative Program has 9 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Howard Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Journeys Alternative Program?
The student-teacher ratio at Journeys Alternative Program is 4.5:1, which is 72% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 71% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Journeys Alternative Program?
The largest demographic group at Journeys Alternative Program is White at 66.7% of enrollment, in Howard Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Journeys Alternative Program?
Journeys Alternative Program has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).
How does Journeys Alternative Program rank among public schools in Howard Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Journeys Alternative Program ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Howard Lake, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Howard Lake on the city page.
Is Journeys Alternative Program a good school?
Journeys Alternative Program earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Meeker and Wright Special Education?
Besides Journeys Alternative Program, Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students), Village Ranch Alternative Program (33 students), and Cornerstones Program (23 students). See the Meeker and Wright Special Education 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.