Enrollment
15
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Saint Paul, MN
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary
Federal NCES profile for St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 66/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 270045805431Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 13
- middle schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 66
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 22.2%
- free-lunch eligible
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary has class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary ranks #1 of 13 middle schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: St. Paul School of Northern Lights · Minnesota
NCES ID 270045805431 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-68% 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
What stands out at St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary is a small charter middle school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 15 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5:1, St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary is leaner than roughly 94% of Minnesota schools and 68% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Minnesota schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 24 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 60 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district, St. Paul School of Northern Lights, also runs St. Paul School of Northern Lights (212 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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary compares
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5:1 | ▼ 68% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.2% | ▼ 48% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
5:1
students per teacher
- 68% below state mean
Top 6% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,854
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 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 73.3%
Two or More 13.3%
African American 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Largest group: White at 73.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.6, St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Paul School of Northern Lights, which includes St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary.
$13,854
Per student
-9%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul School of Northern Lights | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 42.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar middle 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 (~15 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary's federal record.
- Compare St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- St. Paul School of Northern Lights'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 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 5:1, which is 68% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 68% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 66/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary rank among middle schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary ranks #1 of 13 middle schools in Saint Paul, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary a good school?
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of 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 St. Paul School of Northern Lights?
Besides St. Paul School of Northern Lights Secondary, St. Paul School of Northern Lights also operates St. Paul School of Northern Lights (212 students). See the St. Paul School of Northern Lights 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.