Enrollment
485
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270033704175 Charter school
Nova Classical Academy Lower School — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Nova Classical Academy Lower School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 61
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: Nova Classical 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nova Classical Academy Lower 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
Nova Classical Academy Lower School reports 485 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% below the Minnesota average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 485 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Nova Classical Academy spends $11,944 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.9% from local sources (property taxes), 89.9% from the state, and 4.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Nova Classical Academy Lower 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 63% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 485 | top 73% | — | — |
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
15.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,944
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 485 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 485 Top 73% in Minnesota — larger than 27% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.7% -63% vs state
NCES ID 270033704175
Student demographics
White 55.1%
African American 17.1%
Asian 12.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 7.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 55.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 485:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nova Classical Academy, which includes Nova Classical Academy Lower School.
$11,944
Per student
-43%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.9%
State 89.9%
Federal 4.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
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
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Twin Cities German Immersion Chrtr
Standard public school
563 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Higher Ground Academy
Standard public school
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Farnsworth Aerospace Upper
Standard public school
453 students 14.3:1 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 Nova Classical Academy Lower School
How many students attend Nova Classical Academy Lower School?
Nova Classical Academy Lower School has 485 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nova Classical Academy Lower School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nova Classical Academy Lower School is 16.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nova Classical Academy Lower School?
15.7% of students at Nova Classical Academy Lower School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nova Classical Academy Lower School?
The largest demographic group at Nova Classical Academy Lower School is White at 55.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nova Classical Academy Lower School?
Nova Classical Academy Lower School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.