Enrollment
97
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 273381001777
South Washington Alternative Hs — Cottage Grove, MN
Federal NCES profile for South Washington Alternative Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 43
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 81
📋 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: South Washington County Schools · 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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Washington Alternative Hs 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
South Washington Alternative Hs reports 97 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 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: 57.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Minnesota average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 97 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Washington County Schools spends $16,897 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 59.0% from the state, and 6.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 South Washington Alternative Hs 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.6% | ▲ 35% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 97 | top 29% | — | — |
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
57.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 47% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$16,897
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 97 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 97 Top 29% in Minnesota — larger than 71% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.6% +35% vs state
NCES ID 273381001777
Student demographics
White 41.2%
Hispanic or Latino 23.7%
African American 14.4%
Two or More 11.3%
Asian 8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 97:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Washington County Schools, which includes South Washington Alternative Hs.
$16,897
Per student
-20%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 59.0%
Federal 6.9%
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
- 2,072
- Students per teacher
- 43:1
- Enrollment
- 1,992
- Students per teacher
- 35.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,943
- Students per teacher
- 44:1
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 52:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 36.9:1
Similar high schools in Cottage Grove
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 South Washington Alternative Hs
How many students attend South Washington Alternative Hs?
South Washington Alternative Hs has 97 students enrolled. It is a high school in COTTAGE GROVE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Washington Alternative Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at South Washington Alternative Hs is 14.2:1, 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 South Washington Alternative Hs?
57.6% of students at South Washington Alternative Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Washington Alternative Hs?
The largest demographic group at South Washington Alternative Hs is White at 41.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in COTTAGE GROVE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Washington Alternative Hs?
South Washington Alternative Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 5 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.