Enrollment
411
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270039304758 Charter school
Universal Academy Elementary — Minneapolis, MN
Federal NCES profile for Universal Academy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 82
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: Universal Academy Charter School · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+118% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Universal Academy Elementary 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
Universal Academy Elementary reports 411 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 93.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 118% above the Minnesota average and 80% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Universal Academy Charter School spends $17,322 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.2% from local sources (property taxes), 74.3% from the state, and 25.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Universal Academy Elementary 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 118% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 411 | top 65% | — | — |
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
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 118% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 69% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$17,322
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
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 + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 411 Top 65% in Minnesota — larger than 35% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 93.3% +118% vs state
NCES ID 270039304758
Student demographics
African American 97.8%
White 0.7%
Asian 0.7%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 97.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Universal Academy Charter School, which includes Universal Academy Elementary.
$17,322
Per student
-18%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.2%
State 74.3%
Federal 25.5%
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
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 94:1
Similar other schools in Minneapolis
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sullivan Elementary
Standard public school
640 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Green Central Elementary
Standard public school
594 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Seward Elementary
Standard public school
576 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Early Childhood Special Education
Special-education school
573 students 8.5:1 students per teacher
Ella Baker Elementary
Standard public school
512 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Barton Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
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 Universal Academy Elementary
How many students attend Universal Academy Elementary?
Universal Academy Elementary has 411 students enrolled. It is a other school in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Universal Academy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Universal Academy Elementary is 16.8:1, which is 6% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Universal Academy Elementary?
93.3% of students at Universal Academy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Universal Academy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Universal Academy Elementary is African American at 97.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Universal Academy Elementary?
Universal Academy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 3 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.