Enrollment
756
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Big Lake, MN
Liberty Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Liberty Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270546004180
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberty Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in Big Lake · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 30.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberty Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Elementary ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Big Lake, MN.
School address
District: Big Lake Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270546004180 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberty Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberty Elementary
Liberty Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Big Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 756 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 756 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 357 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #252.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 756 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Big Lake Public School District also operates Big Lake Senior High (902 students) and Independence Elementary (758 students) alongside Liberty 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 Liberty Elementary compares
Liberty 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.9% | ▼ 28% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 756 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
756
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
14:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 46% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$12,520
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 756 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 76.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Two or More 7.3%
African American 4.8%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 76.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.3, Liberty Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Lake Public School District, which includes Liberty Elementary.
$12,520
Per student
-18%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 64.0%
Federal 8.1%
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 Liberty Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Independence Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Big Lake Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Big Lake Online 6-12 | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Big Lake Online K-5 | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Liberty Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 902
- Students per teacher
- 30.1:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other 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 (~756 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberty Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Liberty Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Big Lake 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 Liberty Elementary
How many students attend Liberty Elementary?
Liberty Elementary has 756 students enrolled. It is a public school in Big Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberty Elementary is 14:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 11% 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 Liberty Elementary?
30.9% of students at Liberty Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberty Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Liberty Elementary is White at 76.9% of enrollment, in Big Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberty Elementary?
Liberty Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Liberty Elementary rank among public schools in Big Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Elementary ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Big 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 Big Lake on the city page.
Is Liberty Elementary a good school?
Liberty Elementary earns 30/100 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 Big Lake Public School District?
Besides Liberty Elementary, Big Lake Public School District also operates Big Lake Senior High (902 students), Independence Elementary (758 students), and Big Lake Middle School (632 students). See the Big Lake 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.