Enrollment
764
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 271317000939
Robert J. Elkington Middle School — Grand Rapids, MN
Federal NCES profile for Robert J. Elkington Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 84
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: Grand 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert J. Elkington Middle 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
Robert J. Elkington Middle School reports 764 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Minnesota average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Grand Rapids Public School District spends $17,082 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.8% from local sources (property taxes), 60.1% from the state, and 11.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), 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 Robert J. Elkington Middle 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 18% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.4% | ▼ 20% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 764 | top 90% | — | — |
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
34.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 80% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
6.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,082
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 764 Top 90% in Minnesota — larger than 10% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.4% -20% vs state
NCES ID 271317000939
Student demographics
White 86.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.8%
Two or More 5.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
African American 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 86.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 75
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public School District, which includes Robert J. Elkington Middle School.
$17,082
Per student
-19%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.1%
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
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Enrollment
- 639
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 139
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
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 Robert J. Elkington Middle School
How many students attend Robert J. Elkington Middle School?
Robert J. Elkington Middle School has 764 students enrolled. It is a middle school in GRAND RAPIDS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert J. Elkington Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert J. Elkington Middle School is 18.7:1, which is 18% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Robert J. Elkington Middle School?
34.4% of students at Robert J. Elkington Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert J. Elkington Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Robert J. Elkington Middle School is White at 86.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in GRAND RAPIDS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert J. Elkington Middle School?
Robert J. Elkington Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) 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.