Enrollment
54
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Grand Rapids, MN
Middle Area Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Middle Area Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 271317000940
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Middle Area Learning Center earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 39.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 54
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Middle Area Learning Center ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Grand Rapids, MN.
School address
District: Grand Rapids Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271317000940 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
39.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-7% vs state
What stands out at Middle Area Learning Center
Middle Area Learning Center is a mid-sized elementary school in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, enrolling 54 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 39.6% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 54 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #103, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (7%) (diversity index 36/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 81.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Grand Rapids Public School District also operates Grand Rapids Senior High (1,091 students) and Robert J. Elkington Middle School (764 students) alongside Middle Area Learning Center.
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 Middle Area Learning Center compares
Middle Area Learning Center on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.6% | ▼ 7% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 54 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
54
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
81.5%
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
$14,334
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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 79.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.4%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
Asian 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
Largest group: White at 79.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.6, Middle Area Learning Center is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public School District, which includes Middle Area Learning Center.
$14,334
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.1%
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 Middle Area Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Robert J. Elkington Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| East Rapids Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| West Rapids Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Cohasset Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Middle Area Learning Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 639
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar elementary 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Middle Area Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Middle Area Learning Center against another school. Compare schools
- Grand Rapids 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 Middle Area Learning Center
How many students attend Middle Area Learning Center?
Middle Area Learning Center has 54 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Grand Rapids, MN.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Middle Area Learning Center?
39.6% of students at Middle Area Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Middle Area Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Middle Area Learning Center is White at 79.6% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Middle Area Learning Center?
Middle Area Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Middle Area Learning Center rank among elementary schools in Grand Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Middle Area Learning Center ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Grand Rapids, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Grand Rapids on the city page.
Is Middle Area Learning Center a good school?
Middle Area Learning Center earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Grand Rapids Public School District?
Besides Middle Area Learning Center, Grand Rapids Public School District also operates Grand Rapids Senior High (1,091 students), Robert J. Elkington Middle School (764 students), and East Rapids Elementary (639 students). See the Grand Rapids 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.