Enrollment
249
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 271188000581
Mckinley Elementary — Fergus Falls, MN
Federal NCES profile for Mckinley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 16
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: Fergus Falls 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mckinley 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
Mckinley Elementary reports 249 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Minnesota average and 24% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 755 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fergus Falls Public School District spends $13,346 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.9% from local sources (property taxes), 65.2% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F), 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 Mckinley 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 | 15.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.3% | ▼ 8% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 49% | — | — |
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
39.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 56% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.7%
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
$13,346
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 755 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 249 Top 49% in Minnesota — larger than 51% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.3% -8% vs state
NCES ID 271188000581
Student demographics
White 85.5%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 3.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 85.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 755:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fergus Falls Public School District, which includes Mckinley Elementary.
$13,346
Per student
-37%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 65.2%
Federal 14.9%
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
- 714
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 558
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Enrollment
- 361
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
Similar other schools in Fergus Falls
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Fergus Falls Area Learning Center
Alternative education program
83 students 17:1 students per teacher
Fergus Falls Early Childhood Sp Ed
Special-education school
27 students
Lakes Country Academy
Special-education school
14 students 3.3:1 students per teacher
Fergus Falls Ec/Elementary Sp Ed
Special-education school
4 students
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 Mckinley Elementary
How many students attend Mckinley Elementary?
Mckinley Elementary has 249 students enrolled. It is a other school in FERGUS FALLS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mckinley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mckinley Elementary is 15.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 5% 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 Mckinley Elementary?
39.3% of students at Mckinley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mckinley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mckinley Elementary is White at 85.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in FERGUS FALLS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mckinley Elementary?
Mckinley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) 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.