Enrollment
393
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270026303320 Charter school
Midway Star Academy — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Midway Star Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 92
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: Midway Star Academy · 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+123% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Midway Star Academy 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
Midway Star Academy reports 393 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 123% above the Minnesota average and 84% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 393 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Midway Star Academy spends $17,624 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.1% from local sources (property taxes), 84.6% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Midway Star Academy 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 14% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.4% | ▲ 123% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 64% | — | — |
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
95.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 123% 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
18.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 77% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
3.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,624
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 393 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 393 Top 64% in Minnesota — larger than 36% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 18.1:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.4% +123% vs state
NCES ID 270026303320
Student demographics
African American 99.5%
White 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 99.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 393:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.3%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Midway Star Academy, which includes Midway Star Academy.
$17,624
Per student
-17%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.1%
State 84.6%
Federal 14.4%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo
Standard public school
1,066 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Minnesota Connections Academy K-6
Standard public school
1,017 students 36.7:1 students per teacher
Hmong College Prep Academy Es
Standard public school
988 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Twin Cities German Immersion Chrtr
Standard public school
563 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Higher Ground Academy
Standard public school
525 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Nova Classical Academy Lower School
Standard public school
485 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
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 Midway Star Academy
How many students attend Midway Star Academy?
Midway Star Academy has 393 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Midway Star Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Midway Star Academy is 18.1:1, which is 14% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Midway Star Academy?
95.4% of students at Midway Star Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Midway Star Academy?
The largest demographic group at Midway Star Academy is African American at 99.5%. The school serves a student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Midway Star Academy?
Midway Star Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.