Enrollment
340
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 271230000603
Magelssen Elementary — Fosston, MN
Federal NCES profile for Magelssen Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 57
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 →
School address
District: Fosston Public School District · Minnesota
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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Magelssen Elementary 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
Magelssen Elementary reports 340 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 15.9:1, it is 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the Minnesota average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 340 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fosston Public School District spends $17,604 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.0% from local sources (property taxes), 64.8% from the state, and 14.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Magelssen Elementary 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.3% | ▼ 1% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 58% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
42.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 48% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$17,604
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 340 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
Enrollment 340 Top 58% in Minnesota — larger than 42% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.3% -1% vs state
NCES ID 271230000603
Student demographics
White 81.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 8.5%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 81.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 340:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fosston Public School District, which includes Magelssen Elementary.
$17,604
Per student
-17%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.0%
State 64.8%
Federal 14.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 256
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Fosston
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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.
Frequently asked questions about Magelssen Elementary
How many students attend Magelssen Elementary?
Magelssen Elementary has 340 students enrolled. It is a other school in FOSSTON, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Magelssen Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Magelssen Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Magelssen Elementary?
42.3% of students at Magelssen Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Magelssen Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Magelssen Elementary is White at 81.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FOSSTON, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Magelssen Elementary?
Magelssen Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.