Enrollment
212
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270045805256 Charter school
St. Paul School of Northern Lights — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for St. Paul School of Northern Lights, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 64
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: St. Paul School of Northern Lights · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
39.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+149% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St. Paul School of Northern Lights 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
St. Paul School of Northern Lights reports 212 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 39.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 149% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 149% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Minnesota average and 51% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Paul School of Northern Lights spends $16,408 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.5% from local sources (property taxes), 86.8% from the state, and 11.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), 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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights 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 | 39.6:1 | ▲ 149% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.3% | ▼ 41% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 212 | top 44% | — | — |
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
25.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
39.6:1
students per teacher
— 149% above state mean
Top 98% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
14.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,408
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 + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 212 Top 44% in Minnesota — larger than 56% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 39.6:1 +149% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.3% -41% vs state
NCES ID 270045805256
Student demographics
White 67.0%
Two or More 13.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
African American 6.1%
Asian 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 67.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Paul School of Northern Lights, which includes St. Paul School of Northern Lights.
$16,408
Per student
-22%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.5%
State 86.8%
Federal 11.8%
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
- 15
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
Similar elementary schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Capitol Hill Magnet/Rondo
Standard public school
1,066 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Minnesota Connections Academy K-6
Standard public school
1,017 students 36.7:1 students per teacher
Hmong College Prep Academy Es
Standard public school
988 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Twin Cities German Immersion Chrtr
Standard public school
563 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Higher Ground Academy
Standard public school
525 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Nova Classical Academy Lower School
Standard public school
485 students 16.1:1 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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights
How many students attend St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
St. Paul School of Northern Lights has 212 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
The student-teacher ratio at St. Paul School of Northern Lights is 39.6:1, which is 149% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 149% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
25.3% of students at St. Paul School of Northern Lights are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
The largest demographic group at St. Paul School of Northern Lights is White at 67.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
St. Paul School of Northern Lights has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) 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.