Enrollment
275
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270297000077
Sibley Elementary — Albert Lea, MN
Federal NCES profile for Sibley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 66
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: Albert Lea 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sibley Elementary 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
Sibley Elementary reports 275 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% above the Minnesota average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 275 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Albert Lea Public School District spends $16,923 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.8% from local sources (property taxes), 69.9% from the state, and 12.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Sibley Elementary 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.0% | ▲ 31% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 275 | top 51% | — | — |
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
56.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 46% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,923
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 275 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 275 Top 51% in Minnesota — larger than 49% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.0% +31% vs state
NCES ID 270297000077
Student demographics
White 52.0%
Hispanic or Latino 20.0%
Asian 19.6%
Two or More 4.4%
African American 4.0%
Largest group: White at 52.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 275:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Albert Lea Public School District, which includes Sibley Elementary.
$16,923
Per student
-20%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 69.9%
Federal 12.3%
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
- 1,196
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Albert Lea
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Sibley Elementary
How many students attend Sibley Elementary?
Sibley Elementary has 275 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ALBERT LEA, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sibley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sibley Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sibley Elementary?
56.0% of students at Sibley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sibley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sibley Elementary is White at 52.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALBERT LEA, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sibley Elementary?
Sibley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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.