Enrollment
19
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairmont, MN
Southern Plains Education Coop.
Federal NCES profile for Southern Plains Education Coop., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 75/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270004602365
👥 S:T ratio 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Plains Education Coop. earns 75/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 6
- schools in Fairmont · Resource Index
- 75
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.3:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 59.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Plains Education Coop. has class sizes smaller than 92% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Plains Education Coop. ranks #1 of 6 schools in Fairmont, MN.
School address
District: Southern Plains Education Coop. · Minnesota
NCES ID 270004602365 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-60% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Plains Education Coop. compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Plains Education Coop.
Southern Plains Education Coop. is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Fairmont, Minnesota, enrolling 19 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.3:1, Southern Plains Education Coop. is leaner than roughly 92% of Minnesota schools and 60% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 59.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 19 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 75 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 56/100).
Its district draws 20.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Southern Plains Education Coop. also operates Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. (47 students) and Southern Plains Bridges (23 students) alongside Southern Plains Education Coop..
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 Education Coop. compares
Southern Plains Education Coop. on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.3:1 | ▼ 60% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.1% | ▲ 38% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 19 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.3:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
19
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
6.3:1
students per teacher
- 60% below state mean
Top 8% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 31.6%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 5.3%
Largest group: White at 57.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.9, Southern Plains Education Coop. is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
How Southern Plains Education Coop. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southern Plains Bridges | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Positive Approach to Learning | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Plains Education Coop.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 47
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 5.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- 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 (~19 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Plains Education Coop.'s federal record.
- Compare Southern Plains Education Coop. 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 Education Coop.
How many students attend Southern Plains Education Coop.?
Southern Plains Education Coop. has 19 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Fairmont, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Plains Education Coop.?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Plains Education Coop. is 6.3:1, which is 60% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 60% 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 Education Coop.?
59.1% of students at Southern Plains Education Coop. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Plains Education Coop.?
The largest demographic group at Southern Plains Education Coop. is White at 57.9% of enrollment, in Fairmont, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Plains Education Coop.?
Southern Plains Education Coop. has a Resource Investment Index of 75/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Southern Plains Education Coop. rank among schools in Fairmont?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Plains Education Coop. ranks #1 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 Education Coop. a good school?
Southern Plains Education Coop. earns 75/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Education Coop., Southern Plains Education Coop. also operates Southern Plains Area Learning Cntr. (47 students), Southern Plains Bridges (23 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.