Enrollment
84
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · North Saint Paul, MN
The Next Step
Federal NCES profile for The Next Step, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 272385003375
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Next Step earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in North Saint Paul · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.4:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 61.5%
- free-lunch eligible
The Next Step has class sizes smaller than 87% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Next Step ranks #2 of 4 high schools in North Saint Paul, MN.
School address
District: North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale · Minnesota
NCES ID 272385003375 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Next Step compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Next Step
The Next Step is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in North Saint Paul, Minnesota, enrolling 84 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.4:1, The Next Step is leaner than roughly 87% of Minnesota schools and 47% 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 61.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 84 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 122 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #69.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and African American (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale also operates Tartan Senior High (1,687 students) and North Senior High (1,649 students) alongside The Next Step.
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 The Next Step compares
The Next Step on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.4:1 | ▼ 47% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.5% | ▲ 44% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 84 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.4:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
84
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
8.4:1
students per teacher
- 47% below state mean
Top 13% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,432
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
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 41.7%
African American 20.2%
Asian 15.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
Two or More 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 41.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.6, The Next Step is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale, which includes The Next Step.
$15,432
Per student
+1%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.4%
State 57.9%
Federal 12.7%
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 The Next Step Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tartan Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Glenn Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Skyview Community Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carver Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Next Step's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,649
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,029
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 898
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high 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 (~84 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Next Step's federal record.
- Compare The Next Step against another school. Compare schools
- North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale'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 The Next Step
How many students attend The Next Step?
The Next Step has 84 students enrolled. It is a high school in North Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Next Step?
The student-teacher ratio at The Next Step is 8.4:1, which is 47% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 46% 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 The Next Step?
61.5% of students at The Next Step are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Next Step?
The largest demographic group at The Next Step is White at 41.7% of enrollment, in North Saint Paul, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Next Step?
The Next Step has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does The Next Step rank among high schools in North Saint Paul?
By Resource Investment Index, The Next Step ranks #2 of 4 high schools in North Saint Paul, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in North Saint Paul on the city page.
Is The Next Step a good school?
The Next Step earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Minnesota schools. It is also more 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 North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale?
Besides The Next Step, North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale also operates Tartan Senior High (1,687 students), North Senior High (1,649 students), and John Glenn Middle (1,073 students). See the North St. Paul-Maplewood Oakdale 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.