Enrollment
52
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chaska, MN
Swmetro Alc
Federal NCES profile for Swmetro Alc, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270042004979
👥 S:T ratio 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Swmetro Alc earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 5
- schools in Chaska · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.6:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 53.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Swmetro Alc has class sizes smaller than 99% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Swmetro Alc ranks #1 of 5 schools in Chaska, MN.
School address
District: Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 · Minnesota
NCES ID 270042004979 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-84% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swmetro Alc compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Swmetro Alc
Swmetro Alc is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Chaska, Minnesota, enrolling 52 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.6:1, Swmetro Alc is leaner than roughly 99% of Minnesota schools and 84% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 52 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 98 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 56/100).
Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 also operates Swmetro Online Learning (115 students) and Swmetro Level 4 Programs (71 students) alongside Swmetro Alc.
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 Swmetro Alc compares
Swmetro Alc on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 2.6:1 | ▼ 84% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▲ 25% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 52 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.6:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
52
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
2.6:1
students per teacher
- 84% below state mean
Top 1% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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
White 61.5%
Hispanic or Latino 23.1%
African American 7.7%
Two or More 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Largest group: White at 61.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.9, Swmetro Alc is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Swmetro Alc Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swmetro Online Learning | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Swmetro Level 4 Programs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Swmetro Shakopee Special Ed | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Swmetro Lakeside Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Swmetro Alc's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 2.4:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
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 (~52 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~2.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Swmetro Alc's federal record.
- Compare Swmetro Alc against another school. Compare schools
- Southwest Metro Intermediate 288'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 Swmetro Alc
How many students attend Swmetro Alc?
Swmetro Alc has 52 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Chaska, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swmetro Alc?
The student-teacher ratio at Swmetro Alc is 2.6:1, which is 84% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 83% 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 Swmetro Alc?
53.4% of students at Swmetro Alc are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swmetro Alc?
The largest demographic group at Swmetro Alc is White at 61.5% of enrollment, in Chaska, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swmetro Alc?
Swmetro Alc has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Swmetro Alc rank among schools in Chaska?
By Resource Investment Index, Swmetro Alc ranks #1 of 5 schools in Chaska, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chaska on the city page.
Is Swmetro Alc a good school?
Swmetro Alc earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% 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 Southwest Metro Intermediate 288?
Besides Swmetro Alc, Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 also operates Swmetro Online Learning (115 students), Swmetro Level 4 Programs (71 students), and Swmetro Shakopee Special Ed (63 students). See the Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 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.