2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270044605234 Charter school
Water Lily Montessori — Saint Paul, MN
Federal NCES profile for Water Lily Montessori, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
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 →
The verdict
Water Lily Montessori earns an F Resource Investment Index (27/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of Minnesota schools.
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.
Enrollment
3
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
▲-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
▲-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Water Lily Montessori compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
Smaller classes than state median
15.9:1 Minnesota median15.7:1 U.S. median
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
Water Lily Montessori reports 3 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 1.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 15.7:1, it is 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Minnesota average and 36% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Minnesota Wildflower Montessori Sch spends $15,043 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $15,270 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 54.3% from local sources (property taxes), 32.4% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
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
12:1
▼ 25%
15.9:1
15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
▼ 22%
42.8%
51.8%
Enrollment
3
top 2%
—
—
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12Among the smallest classessmaller classes than 78% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
3larger than 0% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
12:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 28% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$15,043
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $15,270
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 + 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
Enrollment3 Top 2% in Minnesota — larger than 98% of 2,391 state schools
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.
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
Compare Water Lily Montessori side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools →
Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile →
Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide →
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Water Lily Montessori
How many students attend Water Lily Montessori?
Water Lily Montessori has 3 students enrolled. It is a other school in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Water Lily Montessori?
The student-teacher ratio at Water Lily Montessori is 12:1, which is 25% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 24% 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 Water Lily Montessori?
33.3% of students at Water Lily Montessori are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Water Lily Montessori?
The largest demographic group at Water Lily Montessori is Asian at 66.7%. The school serves a student body in Saint Paul, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Water Lily Montessori?
Water Lily Montessori has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (F) 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.
Is Water Lily Montessori a good school?
Water Lily Montessori earns an F Resource Investment Index (27/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.