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Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 272124001028
Sanford Middle — Minneapolis, MN
Federal NCES profile for Sanford Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 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: Minneapolis 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28.4:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sanford Middle 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
Sanford Middle reports 728 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 28.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 79% 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 79% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Minnesota average and 35% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 243 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Minneapolis Public School District spends $26,112 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.2% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Sanford Middle 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 | 28.4:1 | ▲ 79% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.5% | ▼ 22% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 728 | top 88% | — | — |
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
33.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
28.4:1
students per teacher
— 79% above state mean
Top 95% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
47.5%
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
$26,112
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 243 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 728 Top 88% in Minnesota — larger than 12% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 28.4:1 +79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.5% -22% vs state
NCES ID 272124001028
Student demographics
White 60.0%
African American 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 9.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 8.2%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 60.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 243:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.5%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 75
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Minneapolis Public School District, which includes Sanford Middle.
$26,112
Per student
+24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.2%
State 50.3%
Federal 18.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,521
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,257
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,195
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar middle schools in Minneapolis
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Andersen Middle
Standard public school
1,052 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Justice Page Middle
Standard public school
1,020 students 28.9:1 students per teacher
Anthony Middle
Standard public school
727 students 38.2:1 students per teacher
Northeast Middle
Standard public school
541 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Anwatin Middle
Standard public school
334 students 20:1 students per teacher
Olson Middle
Standard public school
329 students 15:1 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 Sanford Middle
How many students attend Sanford Middle?
Sanford Middle has 728 students enrolled. It is a middle school in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sanford Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Sanford Middle is 28.4:1, which is 79% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 79% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sanford Middle?
33.5% of students at Sanford Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sanford Middle?
The largest demographic group at Sanford Middle is White at 60.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sanford Middle?
Sanford Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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.