Enrollment
510
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Duluth, MN
Lester Park Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Lester Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271104000472
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lester Park Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #1 of 8
- elementary schools in Duluth · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 17.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Lester Park Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Park Elementary ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in Duluth, MN.
School address
District: Duluth Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271104000472 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lester Park Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lester Park Elementary
Lester Park Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Duluth, Minnesota, enrolling 510 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.7% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the Minnesota average.
Enrollment of 510 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 392 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #56.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Duluth Public School District also operates East High School (1,495 students) and Ordean East Middle School (1,037 students) alongside Lester Park 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 Lester Park Elementary compares
Lester Park 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.7% | ▼ 59% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 510 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
510
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 40% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$14,387
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
5
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 88.8%
Two or More 4.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
African American 1.6%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 88.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.8, Lester Park Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Duluth Public School District, which includes Lester Park Elementary.
$14,387
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 55.1%
Federal 14.5%
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 Lester Park Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ordean East Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Denfeld High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Park Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Congdon Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lester Park Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 28.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,037
- Students per teacher
- 29.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~510 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lester Park Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Lester Park Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Duluth 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 Lester Park Elementary
How many students attend Lester Park Elementary?
Lester Park Elementary has 510 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Duluth, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lester Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lester Park Elementary is 13.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lester Park Elementary?
17.7% of students at Lester Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lester Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Lester Park Elementary is White at 88.8% of enrollment, in Duluth, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lester Park Elementary?
Lester Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Lester Park Elementary rank among elementary schools in Duluth?
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Park Elementary ranks #1 of 8 elementary schools in Duluth, 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 Duluth on the city page.
Is Lester Park Elementary a good school?
Lester Park Elementary earns 53/100 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 Duluth Public School District?
Besides Lester Park Elementary, Duluth Public School District also operates East High School (1,495 students), Ordean East Middle School (1,037 students), and Denfeld High School (951 students). See the Duluth 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.