Enrollment
33
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270004502964
Village Ranch Alternative Program — Cokato, MN
Federal NCES profile for Village Ranch Alternative Program, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 78
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 70
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: Meeker and Wright Special Education · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-65% 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
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
Village Ranch Alternative Program reports 33 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 5.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 65% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 65% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 109% above the Minnesota average and 72% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Meeker and Wright Special Education spends $54,654 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.8% from local sources (property taxes), 47.8% from the state, and 26.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C), 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 Village Ranch Alternative Program 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 | 5.6:1 | ▼ 65% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.3% | ▲ 109% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 33 | top 15% | — | — |
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
89.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 109% 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
5.6:1
students per teacher
— 65% below state mean
Top 7% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$54,654
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 33 Top 15% in Minnesota — larger than 85% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 5.6:1 -65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.3% +109% vs state
NCES ID 270004502964
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meeker and Wright Special Education, which includes Village Ranch Alternative Program.
$54,654
Per student
+159%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+180%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 47.8%
Federal 26.4%
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
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 23
- Students per teacher
- 7:1
- Enrollment
- 18
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 3:1
Similar other schools in Cokato
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Village Ranch Alternative Program
How many students attend Village Ranch Alternative Program?
Village Ranch Alternative Program has 33 students enrolled. It is a other 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 5.6:1, which is 65% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 65% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in COKATO, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Village Ranch Alternative Program?
Village Ranch Alternative Program has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C) 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.