Enrollment
134
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270015602951 Charter school
Life Prep — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Life Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
The verdict
Life Prep earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of Minnesota schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 40/100
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 134
- students enrolled
School address
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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+91% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Life Prep 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
Life Prep reports 134 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 91% above the Minnesota average and 58% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 134 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 69.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Life Prep spends $23,455 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $15,270 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 1.3% from local sources (property taxes), 73.5% from the state, and 25.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Life Prep 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 91% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 134 | top 35% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
11 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 86% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
134 larger than 13% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 91% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
— 31% below state mean
Top 21% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
69.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$23,455
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 134 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 134 Top 35% in Minnesota — larger than 65% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 10.9:1 -31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.6% +91% vs state
NCES ID 270015602951
Student demographics
African American 56.0%
Asian 19.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
White 6.0%
Two or More 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.5%
Largest group: African American at 56.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 134:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 69.4%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Life Prep, which includes Life Prep.
$23,455
Per student
+54%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.3%
State 73.5%
Federal 25.2%
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.
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Life Prep side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Life Prep
How many students attend Life Prep?
Life Prep has 134 students enrolled. It is a other school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Life Prep is 10.9:1, which is 31% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 31% 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 Life Prep?
81.6% of students at Life Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Life Prep?
The largest demographic group at Life Prep is African American at 56.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life Prep?
Life Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Life Prep a good school?
Life Prep earns a D Resource Investment Index (40/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 79% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.