Enrollment
233
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mankato, MN
Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271878002173
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Special Education earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #2 of 6
- schools in Mankato · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 47.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Special Education has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Special Education ranks #2 of 6 schools in Mankato, MN.
School address
District: Mankato Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271878002173 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Special Education compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Special Education
Special Education is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mankato, Minnesota, enrolling 233 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 47.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 233 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 210 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 48/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 1.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students) and Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students) alongside Special Education.
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 Special Education compares
Special Education on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.9% | ▲ 12% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
233
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 31% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
1.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$13,259
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.0%
African American 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Two or More 7.3%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Special Education is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Special Education.
$13,259
Per student
-13%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.1%
State 61.4%
Federal 12.5%
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 Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato East Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mankato West Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Winds Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dakota Meadows Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hoover Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,302
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~233 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Mankato Public School District'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 Special Education
How many students attend Special Education?
Special Education has 233 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Mankato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Special Education is 12.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 22% 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 Special Education?
47.9% of students at Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Special Education is White at 70.0% of enrollment, in Mankato, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Special Education?
Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher 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 Special Education rank among schools in Mankato?
By Resource Investment Index, Special Education ranks #2 of 6 schools in Mankato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mankato on the city page.
Is Special Education a good school?
Special Education earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Mankato Public School District?
Besides Special Education, Mankato Public School District also operates Mankato East Senior High (1,302 students), Mankato West Senior High (1,232 students), and Prairie Winds Middle School (887 students). See the Mankato Public School District 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.