Enrollment
102
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270017903047 Charter school
Nerstrand Charter School — Nerstrand, MN
Federal NCES profile for Nerstrand Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 27
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 →
The verdict
Nerstrand Charter School earns an F Resource Investment Index (39/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 39/100
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 21.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 102
- students enrolled
School address
District: Nerstrand Charter School · 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nerstrand Charter School 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
Nerstrand Charter School reports 102 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% 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 15.7:1, it is 36% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 49% below the Minnesota average and 58% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nerstrand Charter School spends $14,140 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $15,270 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 2.5% from local sources (property taxes), 87.3% from the state, and 10.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Nerstrand Charter School 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 36% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.8% | ▼ 49% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 102 | top 30% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
10 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 90% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
102 larger than 10% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
21.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 49% 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
10.1:1
students per teacher
— 36% below state mean
Top 18% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.4%
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
$14,140
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 102 Top 30% in Minnesota — larger than 70% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 10.1:1 -36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.8% -49% vs state
NCES ID 270017903047
Student demographics
White 86.3%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Largest group: White at 86.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nerstrand Charter School, which includes Nerstrand Charter School.
$14,140
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.5%
State 87.3%
Federal 10.2%
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.
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 Nerstrand Charter School
How many students attend Nerstrand Charter School?
Nerstrand Charter School has 102 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Nerstrand, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nerstrand Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nerstrand Charter School is 10.1:1, which is 36% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 36% 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 Nerstrand Charter School?
21.8% of students at Nerstrand Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nerstrand Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Nerstrand Charter School is White at 86.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Nerstrand, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nerstrand Charter School?
Nerstrand Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.
Is Nerstrand Charter School a good school?
Nerstrand Charter School earns an F Resource Investment Index (39/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.