Enrollment
887
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mankato, MN
Prairie Winds Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Winds Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 271878002045
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Winds Middle School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #11 of 14
- public schools in Mankato · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 40.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Winds Middle School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Winds Middle School ranks #11 of 14 public schools in Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878002045 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Winds Middle School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Winds Middle School
Prairie Winds Middle School is a large middle school in Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 887 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.1% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 93% of state schools at 887 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 196 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #138.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and African American (19%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 444 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Prairie Winds Middle School.
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 Winds Middle School compares
Prairie Winds Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.1% | ▼ 6% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 887 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
887
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 444 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 63.4%
African American 18.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 6.1%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 63.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.1, Prairie Winds Middle School is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Prairie Winds Middle School.
$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 Winds Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dakota Meadows Middle School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rosa Parks Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Winds Middle School'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
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar middle 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 (~887 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Winds Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Winds Middle School 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 Winds Middle School
How many students attend Prairie Winds Middle School?
Prairie Winds Middle School has 887 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Winds Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Winds Middle School is 16.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Prairie Winds Middle School?
40.1% of students at Prairie Winds Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Winds Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Winds Middle School is White at 63.4% of enrollment, in Mankato, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Winds Middle School?
Prairie Winds Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Prairie Winds Middle School rank among public schools in Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Winds Middle School ranks #11 of 14 public 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 public schools in Mankato on the city page.
Is Prairie Winds Middle School a good school?
Prairie Winds Middle School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Winds Middle School, Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students), Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students), and Dakota Meadows Middle School (852 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.