Enrollment
257
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 272301001134
Mountain Lake Elementary — Mountain Lake, MN
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 41
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: Mountain Lake Public Schools · 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
11.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Lake 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
Mountain Lake Elementary reports 257 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% 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 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Minnesota average and 2% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mountain Lake Public Schools spends $20,173 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 64.5% from the state, and 10.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Mountain Lake 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 30% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▲ 18% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 257 | 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
50.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 23% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.7%
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
$20,173
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 257 Top 49% in Minnesota — larger than 51% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.6% +18% vs state
NCES ID 272301001134
Student demographics
White 50.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.1%
Two or More 11.3%
Asian 3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
Largest group: White at 50.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Lake Public Schools, which includes Mountain Lake Elementary.
$20,173
Per student
-4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 64.5%
Federal 10.9%
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
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar other schools in Mountain Lake
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 Mountain Lake Elementary
How many students attend Mountain Lake Elementary?
Mountain Lake Elementary has 257 students enrolled. It is a other school in MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Lake Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 30% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 30% 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 Mountain Lake Elementary?
50.6% of students at Mountain Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Lake Elementary is White at 50.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Lake Elementary?
Mountain Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.