Enrollment
214
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Saint Paul, MN
Step Academy Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Step Academy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270036705139Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Step Academy Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #5 of 26
- elementary schools in Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 43.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Step Academy Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Step Academy Elementary ranks #5 of 26 elementary schools in Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: Step Academy · Minnesota
NCES ID 270036705139 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Step Academy Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Step Academy Elementary
Step Academy Elementary is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 214 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.6% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 214 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 227 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #62.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 2/100).
17.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
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: 179 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 214 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Step Academy also operates Step Academy Charter School (366 students) and Step Academy Kg-5th - Burnsville (171 students) alongside Step Academy Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Step Academy Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 20% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.6% | ▲ 2% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
214
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 34% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.8%
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
132
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 61.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 83.6 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 99.1%
White 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 99.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.8, Step Academy Elementary 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 Elementary.
$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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step Academy Charter School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Step Academy Kg-5th - Burnsville | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Step Academy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 171
- Students per teacher
- 57:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
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 (~214 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Step Academy Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Step Academy Elementary 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 Elementary
How many students attend Step Academy Elementary?
Step Academy Elementary has 214 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Step Academy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Step Academy Elementary is 12.6:1, which is 20% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 20% 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 Step Academy Elementary?
43.6% of students at Step Academy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Step Academy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Step Academy Elementary is African American at 99.1% of enrollment, in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Step Academy Elementary?
Step Academy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Elementary rank among elementary schools in Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, Step Academy Elementary ranks #5 of 26 elementary 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 elementary schools in Saint Paul on the city page.
Is Step Academy Elementary a good school?
Step Academy Elementary earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Elementary, Step Academy also operates Step Academy Charter School (366 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.