Enrollment
366
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saint Paul, MN
Step Academy Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Step Academy Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270036704507Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Step Academy Charter School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #61 of 86
- schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 73.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Step Academy Charter School has class sizes larger than 81% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Step Academy Charter School ranks #61 of 86 schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Step Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270036704507 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Step Academy Charter School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Step Academy Charter School
Step Academy Charter School is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 366 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 73.1% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 366 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 140 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #91.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 102 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 366 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Step Academy also operates Step Academy Elementary (214 students) and Step Academy Kg-5th - Burnsville (171 students) alongside Step Academy Charter School.
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 Step Academy Charter School compares
Step Academy Charter School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▲ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.1% | ▲ 71% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 366 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
366
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 81% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,116
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.9 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
African American 98.9%
White 0.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 98.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.2, Step Academy Charter School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Step Academy, which includes Step Academy Charter School.
$14,116
Per student
-8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.3%
State 76.9%
Federal 22.9%
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 Step Academy Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step Academy Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Step Academy Kg-5th - Burnsville | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Step Academy Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 171
- Students per teacher
- 57:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
Similar other 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 (~366 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Step Academy Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Step Academy Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Step 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 Step Academy Charter School
How many students attend Step Academy Charter School?
Step Academy Charter School has 366 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Step Academy Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Step Academy Charter School is 19.3:1, which is 22% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Step Academy Charter School?
73.1% of students at Step Academy Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Step Academy Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Step Academy Charter School is African American at 98.9% of enrollment, in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Step Academy Charter School?
Step Academy Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Step Academy Charter School rank among schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Step Academy Charter School ranks #61 of 86 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 schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Step Academy Charter School a good school?
Step Academy Charter School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Minnesota schools. It is also less 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 Step Academy?
Besides Step Academy Charter School, Step Academy also operates Step Academy Elementary (214 students) and Step Academy Kg-5th - Burnsville (171 students). See the Step 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.