Enrollment
492
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 273384002454
Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 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: Saint Paul Public 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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary 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
Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary reports 492 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% 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 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 77% above the Minnesota average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 492 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saint Paul Public Schools spends $24,161 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.8% from local sources (property taxes), 53.2% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 26% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.9% | ▲ 77% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 492 | 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
75.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 77% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 26% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
51.6%
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
$24,161
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 492 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 492 Top 74% in Minnesota — larger than 26% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.9% +77% vs state
NCES ID 273384002454
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.9%
Asian 20.7%
African American 17.9%
White 10.4%
Two or More 5.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 492:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.6%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saint Paul Public Schools, which includes Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary.
$24,161
Per student
+14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 53.2%
Federal 21.0%
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
- 1,682
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,591
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,392
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,076
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,066
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar other schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Minnesota Connections Academy 7-12
Standard public school
3,536 students 35.2:1 students per teacher
Washington Tech Secondary Magnet
Standard public school
1,063 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Humboldt High School
Standard public school
955 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Community School of Excellence
Standard public school
696 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Phalen Lake Hmong Studies Magnet
Standard public school
638 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Adams Magnet Elementary
Standard public school
605 students 16:1 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 Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary
How many students attend Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary?
Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary has 492 students enrolled. It is a other school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 26% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 26% 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 Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary?
75.9% of students at Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 45.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary?
Paul & Sheila Wellstone Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.