Enrollment
148
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Minneapolis, MN
Spero Academy
Federal NCES profile for Spero Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270035204099Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 77
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spero Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #20 of 42
- elementary schools in Minneapolis · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 5.7:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 35.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Spero Academy has class sizes smaller than 93% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spero Academy ranks #20 of 42 elementary schools in Minneapolis, MN.
School address
District: Spero Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270035204099 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-64% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spero Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spero Academy
Spero Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, enrolling 148 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.7:1, Spero Academy is leaner than roughly 93% of Minnesota schools and 64% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.9% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 148 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 192 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #82.
Its student body is led by White (43%) and African American (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Spero Academy spends $58,643 per pupil, 284% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district, Spero Academy, also runs Spero Academy Brooklyn Park (127 students).
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 Spero Academy compares
Spero Academy on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.7:1 | ▼ 64% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.9% | ▼ 16% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 148 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.7:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
148
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
5.7:1
students per teacher
- 64% below state mean
Top 7% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$58,643
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 42.6%
African American 27.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Asian 8.8%
Two or More 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: White at 42.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.6, Spero Academy is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spero Academy, which includes Spero Academy.
$58,643
Per student
+284%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+253%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.1%
State 95.6%
Federal 3.3%
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 Spero Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spero Academy Brooklyn Park | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spero Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 127
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar elementary 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 (~148 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spero Academy's federal record.
- Compare Spero Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Spero Academy'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 Spero Academy
How many students attend Spero Academy?
Spero Academy has 148 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Minneapolis, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spero Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Spero Academy is 5.7:1, which is 64% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 64% 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 Spero Academy?
35.9% of students at Spero Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spero Academy?
The largest demographic group at Spero Academy is White at 42.6% of enrollment, in Minneapolis, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spero Academy?
Spero Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Spero Academy rank among elementary schools in Minneapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Spero Academy ranks #20 of 42 elementary schools in Minneapolis, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Minneapolis on the city page.
Is Spero Academy a good school?
Spero Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Spero Academy?
Besides Spero Academy, Spero Academy also operates Spero Academy Brooklyn Park (127 students). See the Spero Academy 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.