Enrollment
497
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 272808001236
Park Rapids Area Century Middle — Park Rapids, MN
Federal NCES profile for Park Rapids Area Century Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 9
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: Park Rapids Public School District · 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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Park Rapids Area Century Middle 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
Park Rapids Area Century Middle reports 497 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Minnesota average and 7% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Park Rapids Public School District spends $16,628 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.5% from local sources (property taxes), 63.0% from the state, and 10.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Park Rapids Area Century Middle 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.3% | ▲ 13% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 497 | top 74% | — | — |
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
48.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 37% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.4%
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
$16,628
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
100
in-school suspensions + 93 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 497 Top 74% in Minnesota — larger than 26% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.3% +13% vs state
NCES ID 272808001236
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.4%
In-school suspensions 100
Out-of-school suspensions 93
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Park Rapids Public School District, which includes Park Rapids Area Century Middle.
$16,628
Per student
-21%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 63.0%
Federal 10.5%
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
- 861
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 80
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 50
- Students per teacher
- 29.5:1
- Enrollment
- 21
- 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 Park Rapids Area Century Middle
How many students attend Park Rapids Area Century Middle?
Park Rapids Area Century Middle has 497 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PARK RAPIDS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park Rapids Area Century Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Park Rapids Area Century Middle is 13.1:1, which is 18% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 18% 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 Park Rapids Area Century Middle?
48.3% of students at Park Rapids Area Century Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Park Rapids Area Century Middle?
Park Rapids Area Century Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.