Enrollment
638
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 271137002038
Salk Middle School — Elk River, MN
Federal NCES profile for Salk Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 41
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: Elk River 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
41.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+158% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salk 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
Salk Middle School reports 638 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 41.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 158% 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 158% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Minnesota average and 57% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 391 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elk River Public School District spends $18,226 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.0% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Salk 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 | 41.1:1 | ▲ 158% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 47% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 638 | top 84% | — | — |
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
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
41.1:1
students per teacher
— 158% above state mean
Top 98% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.7%
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
$18,226
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
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 391 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 638 Top 84% in Minnesota — larger than 16% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 41.1:1 +158% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.5% -47% vs state
NCES ID 271137002038
Student demographics
White 69.1%
African American 17.7%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 69.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.6
Students per counselor 391:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk River Public School District, which includes Salk Middle School.
$18,226
Per student
-14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 61.0%
Federal 7.6%
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
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 37:1
- Enrollment
- 1,562
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 49:1
- Enrollment
- 953
- Students per teacher
- 38.8:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar middle schools in Elk River
5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Vandenberge Middle School
Standard public school
557 students 46.5:1 students per teacher
Spectrum Middle School - Grades 7-8
Standard public school
291 students 32:1 students per teacher
Spectrum Middle School - Grade 6
Standard public school
147 students 26.6:1 students per teacher
Online728 Middle School
Standard public school
31 students
Ivan Sand Middle School Alc
Alternative education program
1 students 5:1 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 Salk Middle School
How many students attend Salk Middle School?
Salk Middle School has 638 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ELK RIVER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salk Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salk Middle School is 41.1:1, which is 158% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 158% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salk Middle School?
22.5% of students at Salk Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salk Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Salk Middle School is White at 69.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in ELK RIVER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salk Middle School?
Salk Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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.