Other / mixed grade configuration · New Hope, MN

Sonnesyn Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Sonnesyn Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 273178001337
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
50
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Sonnesyn Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.

#3 of 4
schools in New Hope · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
12.5:1
students per teacher
59.3%
free-lunch eligible

Sonnesyn Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Sonnesyn Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in New Hope, MN.

Enrollment

313

Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

25.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.5:1

vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg

-21% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

59.3%

vs 42.8% Minnesota avg

+39% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Sonnesyn Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Sonnesyn Elementary

Sonnesyn Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in New Hope, Minnesota, enrolling 313 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 59.3% of students eligible for free meals.

With 313 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.

Against 163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #26.

Its student body is led by African American (44%) and White (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Robbinsdale Public School District also operates Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High (1,840 students) and Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High (1,396 students) alongside Sonnesyn Elementary.

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 Sonnesyn Elementary compares

Sonnesyn Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Minnesota Minnesota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.5:1 ▼ 21% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 59.3% ▲ 39% 42.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 313 top 45% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
313
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
59.3%
free-lunch eligible - 39% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher - 21% below state mean
Top 33% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.9%
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
$16,508
per pupil, district-wide - above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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

African American 44.1%
White 24.3%
Hispanic or Latino 17.6%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%

Largest group: African American at 44.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.4, Sonnesyn Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Robbinsdale Public School District, which includes Sonnesyn Elementary.

$16,508
Per student
+8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 55.0%
Federal 12.0%

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 Sonnesyn Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Plymouth Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion El. Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Robbinsdale Middle Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Sonnesyn Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Robbinsdale Public School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Sonnesyn Elementary's federal record.

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 Sonnesyn Elementary

How many students attend Sonnesyn Elementary?

Sonnesyn Elementary has 313 students enrolled. It is a public school in New Hope, MN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Sonnesyn Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Sonnesyn Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sonnesyn Elementary?

59.3% of students at Sonnesyn Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sonnesyn Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Sonnesyn Elementary is African American at 44.1% of enrollment, in New Hope, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Sonnesyn Elementary?

Sonnesyn Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Sonnesyn Elementary rank among schools in New Hope?

By Resource Investment Index, Sonnesyn Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in New Hope, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in New Hope on the city page.

Is Sonnesyn Elementary a good school?

Sonnesyn Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools. 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 Robbinsdale Public School District?

Besides Sonnesyn Elementary, Robbinsdale Public School District also operates Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High (1,840 students), Robbinsdale Cooper Senior High (1,396 students), and Plymouth Middle (749 students). See the Robbinsdale Public School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.