Enrollment
514
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 271137003360
Zimmerman Middle — Zimmerman, MN
Federal NCES profile for Zimmerman Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 12/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 18
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: Elk River 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zimmerman Middle 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
Zimmerman Middle reports 514 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 75% 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 75% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the Minnesota average and 59% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 514 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elk River Public School District spends $18,226 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.0% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (F), 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 Zimmerman Middle 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 | 27.9:1 | ▲ 75% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.1% | ▼ 51% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 514 | top 76% | — | — |
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
21.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
27.9:1
students per teacher
— 75% above state mean
Top 94% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
32.9%
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
$18,226
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 514 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 514 Top 76% in Minnesota — larger than 24% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 27.9:1 +75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.1% -51% vs state
NCES ID 271137003360
Student demographics
White 87.7%
Two or More 6.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 1.6%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 514:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.9%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk River Public School District, which includes Zimmerman Middle.
$18,226
Per student
-14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 61.0%
Federal 7.6%
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
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 37:1
- Enrollment
- 1,562
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 49:1
- Enrollment
- 953
- Students per teacher
- 38.8:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
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 Zimmerman Middle
How many students attend Zimmerman Middle?
Zimmerman Middle has 514 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ZIMMERMAN, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zimmerman Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Zimmerman Middle is 27.9:1, which is 75% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 75% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zimmerman Middle?
21.1% of students at Zimmerman Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zimmerman Middle?
The largest demographic group at Zimmerman Middle is White at 87.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in ZIMMERMAN, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zimmerman Middle?
Zimmerman Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (F) 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.