Enrollment
33
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cokato, MN
Village Ranch Alternative Program
Federal NCES profile for Village Ranch Alternative Program, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270004502964
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Village Ranch Alternative Program earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Cokato · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.6:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 89.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Village Ranch Alternative Program has class sizes smaller than 91% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Village Ranch Alternative Program ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Cokato, MN.
School address
District: Meeker and Wright Special Education · Minnesota
NCES ID 270004502964 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-58% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+109% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Village Ranch Alternative Program compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Village Ranch Alternative Program
Village Ranch Alternative Program is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Cokato, Minnesota, enrolling 33 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.6:1, Village Ranch Alternative Program is leaner than roughly 91% of Minnesota schools and 58% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 89.3% of students qualify for free meals, 109% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 33 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 36 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 47/100).
12.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 26.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 13 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 33 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students) and Cornerstones Program (23 students) alongside Village Ranch Alternative Program.
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 Village Ranch Alternative Program compares
Village Ranch Alternative Program on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.6:1 | ▼ 58% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.3% | ▲ 109% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 33 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.6:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
33
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 109% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6.6:1
students per teacher
- 58% below state mean
Top 9% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.4 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 69.7%
Hispanic or Latino 21.2%
Two or More 6.1%
African American 3.0%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.5, Village Ranch Alternative Program is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Village Ranch Alternative Program Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cornerstones Program | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Step Td Program | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wings Alternative Program | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Journeys Alternative Program | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Village Ranch Alternative Program's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 7.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 4.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~33 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Village Ranch Alternative Program's federal record.
- Compare Village Ranch Alternative Program against another school. Compare schools
- Meeker and Wright Special Education'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 Village Ranch Alternative Program
How many students attend Village Ranch Alternative Program?
Village Ranch Alternative Program has 33 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Cokato, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Village Ranch Alternative Program?
The student-teacher ratio at Village Ranch Alternative Program is 6.6:1, which is 58% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 58% 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 Village Ranch Alternative Program?
89.3% of students at Village Ranch Alternative Program are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Village Ranch Alternative Program?
The largest demographic group at Village Ranch Alternative Program is White at 69.7% of enrollment, in Cokato, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Village Ranch Alternative Program?
Village Ranch Alternative Program has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (higher 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).
How does Village Ranch Alternative Program rank among public schools in Cokato?
By Resource Investment Index, Village Ranch Alternative Program ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Cokato, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cokato on the city page.
Is Village Ranch Alternative Program a good school?
Village Ranch Alternative Program earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of 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 Meeker and Wright Special Education?
Besides Village Ranch Alternative Program, Meeker and Wright Special Education also operates Meeker-Wright Early Childhood Sp Ed (68 students), Cornerstones Program (23 students), and Step Td Program (18 students). See the Meeker and Wright Special Education 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.