Enrollment
1,090
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 273239001383
Valley Middle School of Stem — Apple Valley, MN
Federal NCES profile for Valley Middle School of Stem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 32
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: Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan · 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)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Middle School of Stem 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
Valley Middle School of Stem reports 1,090 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Minnesota average and 25% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 363 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan spends $16,310 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.5% from local sources (property taxes), 62.9% from the state, and 8.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Valley Middle School of Stem 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.0% | ▼ 9% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,090 | top 95% | — | — |
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
39.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.3%
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
$16,310
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 363 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
58
in-school suspensions + 81 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,090 Top 95% in Minnesota — larger than 5% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.0% -9% vs state
NCES ID 273239001383
Student demographics
White 41.0%
African American 22.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
Two or More 12.1%
Asian 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 41.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 363:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.3%
In-school suspensions 58
Out-of-school suspensions 81
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, which includes Valley Middle School of Stem.
$16,310
Per student
-23%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.5%
State 62.9%
Federal 8.5%
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
- 2,364
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 2,328
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,999
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,228
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
Similar middle schools in Apple Valley
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Valley Middle School of Stem
How many students attend Valley Middle School of Stem?
Valley Middle School of Stem has 1,090 students enrolled. It is a middle school in APPLE VALLEY, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Middle School of Stem?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Middle School of Stem is 17.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Middle School of Stem?
39.0% of students at Valley Middle School of Stem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Middle School of Stem?
The largest demographic group at Valley Middle School of Stem is White at 41.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in APPLE VALLEY, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Middle School of Stem?
Valley Middle School of Stem has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.