Other / mixed grade configuration · Mandan, ND

Mary Stark Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Mary Stark Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 381182000390
0/100100/10038/100
👥 S:T ratio
59
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
61
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mary Stark Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most North Dakota schools.

#3 of 6
schools in Mandan · Resource Index
38
Resource Index · Typical
10.2:1
students per teacher
81.9%
free-lunch eligible

Mary Stark Elementary School has class sizes near the North Dakota median. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mary Stark Elementary School ranks #3 of 6 schools in Mandan, ND.

School address

Enrollment

193

North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

19.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.2:1

vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg

-14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

81.9%

vs 28.2% North Dakota avg

+190% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mary Stark Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Mary Stark Elementary School

Mary Stark Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mandan, North Dakota, enrolling 193 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 81.9% of students qualify for free meals, 190% above the North Dakota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 193 students, its enrollment sits close to the North Dakota median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.

Its student body is led by White (63%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (15%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 193 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Mandan 1 spends $13,128 per pupil, 29% below the North Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 18.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Mandan's public schools, it stands alongside Red Trail Elementary School (438 students): Mary Stark Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.2:1 vs 18.3:1).

Mandan 1 also operates Mandan High School (1,175 students) and Mandan Middle School (1,003 students) alongside Mary Stark Elementary School.

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 Mary Stark Elementary School compares

Mary Stark Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs North Dakota North Dakota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 10.2:1 ▼ 14% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 81.9% ▲ 190% 28.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 193 top 40% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
193
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible - 190% above the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher - 14% below state mean
Top 37% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
65.8%
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
$13,128
per pupil, district-wide - below North Dakota avg of $18,450
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 193 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 62.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 15.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.4%
African American 4.7%
Two or More 4.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%

Largest group: White at 62.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 56.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Mary Stark Elementary School is more mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mandan 1, which includes Mary Stark Elementary School.

$13,128
Per student
-29%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.5%
State 49.7%
Federal 18.8%

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 Mary Stark Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mandan High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mandan Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Ft Lincoln Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Red Trail Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Lewis and Clark Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Mary Stark Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Mandan 1 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Mandan

5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Mary Stark Elementary School's federal record.

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 Mary Stark Elementary School

How many students attend Mary Stark Elementary School?

Mary Stark Elementary School has 193 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mandan, ND.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Stark Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Mary Stark Elementary School is 10.2:1, which is 14% lower than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 35% 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 Mary Stark Elementary School?

81.9% of students at Mary Stark Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Stark Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Mary Stark Elementary School is White at 62.7% of enrollment, in Mandan, ND. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Stark Elementary School?

Mary Stark Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Mary Stark Elementary School rank among schools in Mandan?

By Resource Investment Index, Mary Stark Elementary School ranks #3 of 6 schools in Mandan, ND. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mandan on the city page.

Is Mary Stark Elementary School a good school?

Mary Stark Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most North Dakota schools. 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 Mandan 1?

Besides Mary Stark Elementary School, Mandan 1 also operates Mandan High School (1,175 students), Mandan Middle School (1,003 students), and Ft Lincoln Elementary School (455 students). See the Mandan 1 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.