Enrollment
18
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mankato, MN
Prairie Care Mankato
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Care Mankato, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271878005116
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Care Mankato earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools.
- #6 of 6
- schools in Mankato · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 60.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Care Mankato has class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Care Mankato ranks #6 of 6 schools in Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878005116 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Care Mankato compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Care Mankato
Prairie Care Mankato is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 18 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 60.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 18 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 79 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #68, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 57/100).
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Prairie Care Mankato.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Prairie Care Mankato compares
Prairie Care Mankato on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▲ 14% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.9% | ▲ 42% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 18 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
18
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
18:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 75% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$13,259
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 55.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.3%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 5.6%
Largest group: White at 55.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.4, Prairie Care Mankato is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Prairie Care Mankato.
$13,259
Per student
-13%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.1%
State 61.4%
Federal 12.5%
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.
How Prairie Care Mankato Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie Winds Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dakota Meadows Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Care Mankato's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,302
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~18 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Care Mankato's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Care Mankato against another school. Compare schools
- Mankato Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Prairie Care Mankato
How many students attend Prairie Care Mankato?
Prairie Care Mankato has 18 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Care Mankato?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Care Mankato is 18:1, which is 14% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Care Mankato?
60.9% of students at Prairie Care Mankato are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Care Mankato?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Care Mankato is White at 55.6% of enrollment, in Mankato, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Care Mankato?
Prairie Care Mankato has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Prairie Care Mankato rank among schools in Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Care Mankato ranks #6 of 6 schools in Mankato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mankato on the city page.
Is Prairie Care Mankato a good school?
Prairie Care Mankato earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Minnesota schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mankato Public School District?
Besides Prairie Care Mankato, Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students), Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students), and Prairie Winds Middle School (887 students). See the Mankato Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.