Enrollment
5
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270044205117
Northern Lights Academy Cooperative — Cloquet, MN
Federal NCES profile for Northern Lights Academy Cooperative, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 50
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: Northern Lights Academy Cooperative · 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)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northern Lights Academy Cooperative 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
Northern Lights Academy Cooperative reports 5 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 1.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 69% 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 69% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Northern Lights Academy Cooperative spends $78,519 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.7% from local sources (property taxes), 87.3% from the state, and 2.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Northern Lights Academy Cooperative 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 | 5:1 | ▼ 69% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 5 | top 3% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
5:1
students per teacher
— 69% below state mean
Top 6% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.0%
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
$78,519
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 + 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 5 Top 3% in Minnesota — larger than 97% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 1.0
Students per teacher 5:1 -69% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 270044205117
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northern Lights Academy Cooperative, which includes Northern Lights Academy Cooperative.
$78,519
Per student
+272%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+303%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.7%
State 87.3%
Federal 2.0%
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
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 5.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Cloquet
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Northern Lights Academy Cooperative
How many students attend Northern Lights Academy Cooperative?
Northern Lights Academy Cooperative has 5 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in CLOQUET, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northern Lights Academy Cooperative?
The student-teacher ratio at Northern Lights Academy Cooperative is 5:1, which is 69% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 69% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northern Lights Academy Cooperative?
Northern Lights Academy Cooperative has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.