Enrollment
86
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 273381004280
Next Step Transition Program — Cottage Grove, MN
Federal NCES profile for Next Step Transition Program, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 10/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
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: South Washington County 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
42.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+167% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Next Step Transition Program 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
Next Step Transition Program reports 86 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 42.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 167% 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 167% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% above the Minnesota average and 16% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 68.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Washington County Schools spends $16,897 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 59.0% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (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 Next Step Transition Program 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 | 42.5:1 | ▲ 167% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.5% | ▲ 2% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 86 | top 28% | — | — |
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
43.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% 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
42.5:1
students per teacher
— 167% above state mean
Top 98% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
68.6%
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
$16,897
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 86 Top 28% in Minnesota — larger than 72% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 42.5:1 +167% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.5% +2% vs state
NCES ID 273381004280
Student demographics
White 61.6%
African American 14.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 9.3%
Asian 5.8%
Largest group: White at 61.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 68.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Washington County Schools, which includes Next Step Transition Program.
$16,897
Per student
-20%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 59.0%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 2,072
- Students per teacher
- 43:1
- Enrollment
- 1,992
- Students per teacher
- 35.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,943
- Students per teacher
- 44:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 52:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 36.9:1
Similar high schools in Cottage Grove
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Next Step Transition Program
How many students attend Next Step Transition Program?
Next Step Transition Program has 86 students enrolled. It is a high school in COTTAGE GROVE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Next Step Transition Program?
The student-teacher ratio at Next Step Transition Program is 42.5:1, which is 167% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 167% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Next Step Transition Program?
43.5% of students at Next Step Transition Program are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Next Step Transition Program?
The largest demographic group at Next Step Transition Program is White at 61.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in COTTAGE GROVE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Next Step Transition Program?
Next Step Transition Program has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F) based on 4 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.