Enrollment
26
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 270042005528
Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions — Buffalo, MN
Federal NCES profile for Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 4
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: Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 · 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)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.2%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions 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
Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions reports 26 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 15% 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. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southwest Metro Intermediate 288 spends $68,553 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.1% from local sources (property taxes), 64.2% from the state, and 2.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.2% | ▼ 48% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 26 | top 13% | — | — |
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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 40% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$68,553
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 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
Enrollment 26 Top 13% in Minnesota — larger than 87% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 2.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.2% -48% vs state
NCES ID 270042005528
Student demographics
White 88.5%
African American 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Largest group: White at 88.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwest Metro Intermediate 288, which includes Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions.
$68,553
Per student
+225%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+252%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.1%
State 64.2%
Federal 2.6%
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
- 115
- Students per teacher
- 3.3:1
- Enrollment
- 71
- Students per teacher
- 6.4:1
- Enrollment
- 63
- Students per teacher
- 5.2:1
- Enrollment
- 52
- Students per teacher
- 4.4:1
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
Similar high schools in Buffalo
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions
How many students attend Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions?
Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions has 26 students enrolled. It is a high school in BUFFALO, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions?
The student-teacher ratio at Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions is 13.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 15% 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 Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions?
22.2% of students at Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions?
The largest demographic group at Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions is White at 88.5%. The school serves a student body in BUFFALO, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions?
Swmetro Buffalo-Transitions has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.