Enrollment
233
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 271878002173
Special Education — Mankato, MN
Federal NCES profile for Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 97
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: Mankato Public School District · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-11% 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
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
Special Education reports 233 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 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: 47.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Minnesota average and 8% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 1.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mankato Public School District spends $17,270 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.1% from local sources (property taxes), 61.4% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Special Education 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.9% | ▲ 12% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 47% | — | — |
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
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 46% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
1.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,270
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
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
Enrollment 233 Top 47% in Minnesota — larger than 53% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.9% +12% vs state
NCES ID 271878002173
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 1.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mankato Public School District, which includes Special Education.
$17,270
Per student
-18%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,302
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 887
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
Similar other schools in Mankato
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
388 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Kennedy Elementary
Standard public school
347 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Mankato Schools Center for Learning
Standard public school
165 students
Kato Public Charter School
Standard public school
77 students 8.5:1 students per teacher
Prairie Care Mankato
Alternative education program
18 students 23:1 students per teacher
Central Freedom School
Alternative education program
1 students 3:1 students per teacher
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 Special Education
How many students attend Special Education?
Special Education has 233 students enrolled. It is a other school in MANKATO, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Special Education is 14.1:1, 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in MANKATO, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Special Education?
Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.