Enrollment
420
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wells, MN
United South Central Elementary
Federal NCES profile for United South Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270000501769
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
United South Central Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 43.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 420
- students enrolled
United South Central Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: United South Central Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 270000501769 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How United South Central Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at United South Central Elementary
United South Central Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wells, Minnesota, enrolling 420 students.
At 13.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.1% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 420 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 349 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #145.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 36/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, United South Central Schools, also runs United South Central High School (343 students).
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 United South Central Elementary compares
United South Central 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.1% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 420 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
420
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 41% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$14,123
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
11
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 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 77.6%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
Two or More 4.5%
Largest group: White at 77.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.4, United South Central Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United South Central Schools, which includes United South Central Elementary.
$14,123
Per student
-8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 62.5%
Federal 13.9%
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 United South Central Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| United South Central High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to United South Central Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 343
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~420 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on United South Central Elementary's federal record.
- Compare United South Central Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- United South Central Schools'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 United South Central Elementary
How many students attend United South Central Elementary?
United South Central Elementary has 420 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wells, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at United South Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at United South Central Elementary is 13.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 14% 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 United South Central Elementary?
43.1% of students at United South Central Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of United South Central Elementary?
The largest demographic group at United South Central Elementary is White at 77.6% of enrollment, in Wells, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for United South Central Elementary?
United South Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
Is United South Central Elementary a good school?
United South Central Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 United South Central Schools?
Besides United South Central Elementary, United South Central Schools also operates United South Central High School (343 students). See the United South Central Schools 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.