Enrollment
15
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 270045805431 Charter school
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.2%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary 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 Secondary reports 15 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% 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 43% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Minnesota average and 57% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 60 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
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 61/100 (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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary 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 | 9:1 | ▼ 43% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.2% | ▼ 48% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 9% | — | — |
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
22.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
9:1
students per teacher
— 43% below state mean
Top 14% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 60 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 15 Top 9% in Minnesota — larger than 91% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 9:1 -43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.2% -48% vs state
NCES ID 270045805431
Student demographics
White 73.3%
Two or More 13.3%
African American 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Largest group: White at 73.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 60:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Paul School of Northern Lights, which includes St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary.
$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
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 39.6:1
Similar middle schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Highland Park Middle School
Standard public school
811 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Hmong College Prep Academy Ms
Standard public school
724 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Hidden River Middle School
Standard public school
640 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Battle Creek Middle
Standard public school
619 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Murray Middle School
Standard public school
576 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Hmong Language and Culture-Parkway
Standard public school
337 students 8.7:1 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 Secondary
How many students attend St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary?
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary has 15 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary is 9:1, which is 43% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 43% 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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary?
22.2% of students at St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary 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 Secondary?
The largest demographic group at St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary is White at 73.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary?
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.