Enrollment
461
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hastings, MN
Kennedy Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Kennedy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271353000695
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kennedy Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Hastings · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- students per teacher
- 27.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Kennedy Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Hastings, MN.
School address
District: Hastings Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271353000695 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kennedy Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kennedy Elementary
Kennedy Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Hastings, Minnesota, enrolling 461 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 461 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 492 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #200.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Hastings Public School District also operates Hastings High School (1,301 students) and Hastings Middle School (1,183 students) alongside Kennedy Elementary.
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 Kennedy Elementary compares
Kennedy Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.8% | ▼ 35% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 461 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
461
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 66% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.5%
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
$13,875
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
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 80.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 1.7%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 80.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.3, Kennedy Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hastings Public School District, which includes Kennedy Elementary.
$13,875
Per student
-9%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.4%
State 59.3%
Federal 8.3%
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 Kennedy Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hastings High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hastings Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Christa Mcauliffe Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pinecrest Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hastings Early Child Special Ed. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kennedy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,301
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,183
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 100
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
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 (~461 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kennedy Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Kennedy Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hastings Public School District'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 Kennedy Elementary
How many students attend Kennedy Elementary?
Kennedy Elementary has 461 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hastings, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kennedy Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kennedy Elementary?
27.8% of students at Kennedy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kennedy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kennedy Elementary is White at 80.9% of enrollment, in Hastings, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kennedy Elementary?
Kennedy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Kennedy Elementary rank among elementary schools in Hastings?
By Resource Investment Index, Kennedy Elementary ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Hastings, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Hastings on the city page.
Is Kennedy Elementary a good school?
Kennedy Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Hastings Public School District?
Besides Kennedy Elementary, Hastings Public School District also operates Hastings High School (1,301 students), Hastings Middle School (1,183 students), and Christa Mcauliffe Elementary (470 students). See the Hastings Public School District 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.