operational schools · 2023–24
School district or education agency · NCES 2700309
Best Academy
Minneapolis, MN
Students623
Student membership reported by NCES for 2023–24.
students in linked records
federal comparable series
per student
District, state and country
How does this district compare?
State and national figures use the same measure and reporting period. They are weighted by students or staffing whenever the source provides a denominator.
MeasureDistrictMNUnited States
Academic standing2025
25th percentile48th percentile45th percentileThis district is 23 percentile points lower than the state figure and 20 percentile points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students chronically absent2022–23
50.9%27.3%27.8%This district is 23.6 percentage points higher than the state figure and 23.1 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Revenue per studentFY 2023
$26,919$18,721$19,509This district is $8,198 per student higher than the state figure and $7,410 per student higher than the U.S. figure.
Spending per studentFY 2023
$24,582$15,248$15,859This district is $9,334 per student higher than the state figure and $8,723 per student higher than the U.S. figure.
Capital outlay per studentFY 2023
$1,972$2,550$1,964This district is $578 per student lower than the state figure and $8 per student higher than the U.S. figure.
Equipment spending per studentFY 2023
$227$404$336This district is $177 per student lower than the state figure and $109 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Special-education spending per studentFY 2023
$0$0$1,793This district is about the same as the state figure and $1,793 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Salaries per studentFY 2023
$12,232$9,299$8,742This district is $2,933 per student higher than the state figure and $3,490 per student higher than the U.S. figure.
Benefits per studentFY 2023
$2,614$3,128$3,769This district is $514 per student lower than the state figure and $1,155 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt outstanding per studentFY 2023
$0$18,936$11,715This district is $18,936 per student lower than the state figure and $11,715 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt retired per studentFY 2023
$3$1,058$869This district is $1,055 per student lower than the state figure and $866 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Students per teacher2023–24
13:115:115:1This district is 2.0 students per teacher lower than the state figure and 2.0 students per teacher lower than the U.S. figure.
Students per counselor2023–24
751:1541:1376:1This district is 210 students per counselor higher than the state figure and 375 students per counselor higher than the U.S. figure.
District staff per 1,000 students2023–24
217.3147.7138.9This district is 69.6 staff per 1,000 students higher than the state figure and 78.4 staff per 1,000 students higher than the U.S. figure.
Instructional aides per 1,000 students2023–24
91.525.118.5This district is 66.4 aides per 1,000 students higher than the state figure and 73.0 aides per 1,000 students higher than the U.S. figure.
School psychologists per 1,000 students2023–24
0.00.90.9This district is 0.9 psychologists per 1,000 students lower than the state figure and 0.9 psychologists per 1,000 students lower than the U.S. figure.
Students learning English2021–22 · reporting schools
36.7%10.6%12.0%This district is 26.0 percentage points higher than the state figure and 24.7 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Students receiving IDEA services2021–22 · reporting schools
15.0%16.0%14.0%This district is 1.0 percentage points lower than the state figure and 1.0 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Students with Section 504 plans2021–22 · reporting schools
0.3%2.9%3.9%This district is 2.6 percentage points lower than the state figure and 3.6 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Teachers reported as certified2021–22 · reporting schools
100.0%98.3%95.8%This district is 1.7 percentage points higher than the state figure and 4.2 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Enrollment change2021–22 to 2023–24
-8.2%+0.1%+0.5%This district is 8.3 percentage points lower than the state figure and 8.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals2021–22 · valid district records
85.0%31.4%50.6%This district is 53.6 percentage points higher than the state figure and 34.4 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students without disabilities2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%2.9%4.5%This district is 2.9 percentage points lower than the state figure and 4.5 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students receiving IDEA services2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%7.5%9.0%This district is 7.5 percentage points lower than the state figure and 9.0 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Out-of-school suspension rate · students with Section 504 plans2021–22 · matched enrollment
0.0%3.8%6.7%This district is 3.8 percentage points lower than the state figure and 6.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Enrollment · 2023–24
Who attends this district?
Kindergarten–grade 5419 students
67.3%Grades 6–8204 students
32.7%See enrollment for every grade
Kindergarten64
Grade 176
Grade 269
Grade 369
Grade 469
Grade 572
Grade 679
Grade 760
Grade 865
Students by race and ethnicity
Final NCES Common Core of Data membership file, 2023–24. Suppressed or missing cells are not estimated.
Current staffing · 2023–24
How many staff members support students?
See detailed staffing
Kindergarten teachers5.2 FTE
Elementary teachers35.1 FTE
Secondary teachers7.3 FTE
Ungraded teachers2 FTE
Secondary school counselors0.8 FTE
District administrators11 FTE
School administrative support2 FTE
Other support staff2 FTE
Final NCES Common Core of Data staff file, 2023–24. These are full-time-equivalent positions, not employee headcounts, vacancies or caseloads.
Learning support · 2021–22 federal snapshot
How many students may need specialized support?
Counts and shares use only schools with a usable value for that measure. The reporting-school denominator prevents missing schools from being counted as zero.
36.7%Students learning English260 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
15.0%Students receiving IDEA special-education services106 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
0.3%Students with Section 504 plans2 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
1.0%English learners also receiving IDEA services7 students · 1 of 1 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021–22. Public-use counts are privacy-protected. These figures describe the reporting year, not current enrollment, diagnoses, service quality or unmet need.
Teacher quality and early learning · 2021–22
What did the district report about teachers and preschool?
Teacher certification comparison
U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021–22. Certification status is district-reported and may not match current staffing. Preschool counts cover the federal reporting year and are not a measure of available seats.
District geography · 2024–25
What area does this district cover?
NCES publishes a geographic boundary for traditional school districts. Charter agencies and some special-purpose agencies may not have one.
Loading the official district boundary…
Source: NCES EDGE School District Boundaries, school year 2024–25.
Comparable districts
Districts serving a similar student population
These peers are matched using enrollment and available student population measures. Districts in MN receive geographic preference, but a closer national match may appear when it is more comparable. Open any profile for a full comparison.
Fosston Public School DistrictFosston, MN618 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Martin County West School DistrictSherburn, MN630 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Nevis Public School DistrictNevis, MN609 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Mahnomen Public School DistrictMahnomen, MN650 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Mountain Iron-Buhl School DistrictMountain Iron, MN591 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →
Academic results · 2025
How do results differ among student groups?
Students not economically disadvantaged57 assessments
30 out of 100Black students354 assessments
28 out of 100Economically disadvantaged students384 assessments
24 out of 100Fem215 assessments
22 out of 100Mal138 assessments
22 out of 100A score of 50 marks the national 2019 midpoint. Higher numbers indicate stronger results on the comparable Stanford research scale. This is not a state proficiency rate.
District makeup
What kinds of schools are in the district?
School levels, settings and types use the NCES 2021–22 directory matched to the federal civil-rights collection.
District finances
How is the district funded, and how does it spend?
Sources of funds
Where the money comes from
Share of district revenue supplied by each level of government.
Uses of funds
Where the money goes
Annual spending for each enrolled student.
Revenue by source: percentages and dollars
How operating money was used
People costs
Equipment, buildings and debt
Selected federal program revenue
What changed since FY 2022
FY 2022$22,720
→FY 2023$24,582
FY 2022$2,221
→FY 2023$1,972
FY 2022$2,409
→FY 2023$0
Revenue shares and spending categories answer different questions and should not be added together. Source: NCES F-33 district finance, FY 2023.
Attendance
How has chronic absence changed?
309 of 715 students
347 of 679 students
314 of 617 students
Specialized support and security · 2021–22
What specialized roles were reported?
Staffing is reported as full-time equivalents in the 2021–22 CRDC collection.
Learning opportunities
What do district schools offer?
Gifted programs1 reporting schools
0%
Shares use only schools for which the program was applicable and reported. A districtwide percentage does not guarantee availability at every grade or campus. Source: 2021–22 CRDC.
Safety and discipline
What was reported across district schools?
0Out-of-school suspensions1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0In-school suspensions1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0Law-enforcement referrals1 reporting schoolsSee schools →0School-related arrests1 reporting schoolsSee schools →
Counts are from the 2021–22 CRDC collection. Open a measure to see the schools behind the district total.
Technology and safety · 2021–22
What access and incident data is available?
Technology and incident figures are from the 2021–22 CRDC collection. Device counts describe the reporting year, not current inventory.
Six questions parents ask
What the available data says
Each answer shows its reporting year and opens a deeper comparison. Missing and suppressed results are never shown as zero.
Are students making academic progress?5 years of resultsLatest research estimate: 2025Explore and compare →Are students missing too much school?50.9% chronically absent2022–23 · 617 students measuredExplore and compare →Is the district improving?Declined overallCompare the earliest and latest available yearsExplore and compare →Where are student-group gaps largest?5 student groups2025 research estimatesExplore and compare →How much does the district spend?$24,582current spending per studentExplore and compare →Does the district have enough support staff?751:1 counselor ratioStudents per counselor in the 2023–24 federal staffing fileExplore and compare →
7 of 8 national data layers are matched to this NCES district ID. Identity and school counts use NCES records. Academic estimates use SEDA, attendance uses EDFacts, finance uses NCES F-33, staffing and enrollment use 2023–24 NCES CCD where available, teacher certification, preschool and policy fields use the 2021–22 CRDC, and community poverty context uses Census SAIPE. Four-year graduation rates use 2022–23 EDFacts. Every detailed view preserves its reporting year.
See all sources →