Enrollment
428
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 273178001339
Zachary Lane Elementary — Plymouth, MN
Federal NCES profile for Zachary Lane Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 64
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: Robbinsdale Public School District · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zachary Lane Elementary 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
Zachary Lane Elementary reports 428 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Minnesota average and 52% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Robbinsdale Public School District spends $19,907 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.0% from local sources (property taxes), 55.0% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Zachary Lane Elementary 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.7% | ▼ 42% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 67% | — | — |
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
24.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
16:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 64% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
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
$19,907
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 428 Top 67% in Minnesota — larger than 33% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 16:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.7% -42% vs state
NCES ID 273178001339
Student demographics
White 58.9%
African American 20.1%
Two or More 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 58.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Robbinsdale Public School District, which includes Zachary Lane Elementary.
$19,907
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.0%
State 55.0%
Federal 12.0%
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
- 1,840
- Students per teacher
- 30.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 28.1:1
- Enrollment
- 749
- Students per teacher
- 29.9:1
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Plymouth
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Greenwood Elementary
Standard public school
762 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Meadow Ridge Elementary School
Standard public school
762 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Sunset Hill Elementary
Standard public school
712 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Plymouth Creek Elementary
Standard public school
678 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Gleason Lake Elementary
Standard public school
604 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Oakwood Elementary
Standard public school
545 students 13.5:1 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 Zachary Lane Elementary
How many students attend Zachary Lane Elementary?
Zachary Lane Elementary has 428 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PLYMOUTH, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zachary Lane Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Zachary Lane Elementary is 16:1, which is 1% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zachary Lane Elementary?
24.7% of students at Zachary Lane Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zachary Lane Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Zachary Lane Elementary is White at 58.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in PLYMOUTH, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zachary Lane Elementary?
Zachary Lane Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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.