Enrollment
47
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairmont, MN
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.
Federal NCES profile for Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270004602369
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 6
- schools in Fairmont · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 71.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. has class sizes smaller than 84% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. ranks #2 of 6 schools in Fairmont, MN.
School address
District: Southern Plains Education Coop. · Minnesota
NCES ID 270004602369 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-41% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.2%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fairmont, Minnesota, enrolling 47 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 71.2% of students qualify for free meals, 66% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 47 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 72 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 47 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 20.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 10 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 47 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Southern Plains Education Coop. also operates Southern Plains Bridges (23 students) and Southern Plains Education Coop. (19 students) alongside Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr..
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 Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. compares
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 41% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.2% | ▲ 66% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 47 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
47
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 41% below state mean
Top 16% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 47 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.3 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
White 63.8%
Hispanic or Latino 29.8%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 2.1%
Largest group: White at 63.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.2, Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Plains Bridges | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southern Plains Education Coop. | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Positive Approach to Learning | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 5.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 19
- Students per teacher
- 6.3:1
- Resource Index
- 75/100
- Enrollment
- 5
- Students per teacher
- 5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~47 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.'s federal record.
- Compare Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Plains Education Coop.'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.
How many students attend Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. has 47 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Fairmont, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. is 9.4:1, which is 41% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 40% 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 Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?
71.2% of students at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?
The largest demographic group at Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. is White at 63.8% of enrollment, in Fairmont, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr.?
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. rank among schools in Fairmont?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. ranks #2 of 6 schools in Fairmont, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fairmont on the city page.
Is Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. a good school?
Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of 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 Southern Plains Education Coop.?
Besides Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr., Southern Plains Education Coop. also operates Southern Plains Bridges (23 students), Southern Plains Education Coop. (19 students), and Positive Approach to Learning (5 students). See the Southern Plains Education Coop. district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.