Enrollment
416
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270035304173 Charter school
Urban Academy — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Urban Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 94
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: Urban Academy · 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+126% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Urban Academy 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
Urban Academy reports 416 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 126% above the Minnesota average and 87% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 416 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Urban Academy spends $15,743 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.1% from local sources (property taxes), 76.1% from the state, and 23.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 Urban Academy 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.9% | ▲ 126% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 416 | top 66% | — | — |
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
96.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 126% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 67% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
2.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,743
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 416 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 416 Top 66% in Minnesota — larger than 34% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.9% +126% vs state
NCES ID 270035304173
Student demographics
Asian 86.1%
African American 10.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Two or More 1.2%
White 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Asian at 86.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 416:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Urban Academy, which includes Urban Academy.
$15,743
Per student
-25%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.1%
State 76.1%
Federal 23.8%
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.
Similar other schools in Saint Paul
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Minnesota Connections Academy 7-12
Standard public school
3,536 students 35.2:1 students per teacher
Washington Tech Secondary Magnet
Standard public school
1,063 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Humboldt High School
Standard public school
955 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Community School of Excellence
Standard public school
696 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Phalen Lake Hmong Studies Magnet
Standard public school
638 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Adams Magnet Elementary
Standard public school
605 students 16:1 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 Urban Academy
How many students attend Urban Academy?
Urban Academy has 416 students enrolled. It is a other school in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Urban Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Urban Academy is 16.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Urban Academy?
96.9% of students at Urban Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Urban Academy?
The largest demographic group at Urban Academy is Asian at 86.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAINT PAUL, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Urban Academy?
Urban Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.