operational schools · 2023–24
School district or education agency · NCES 2700458
St. Paul School of Northern Lights
Saint Paul, MN
Students207
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
32nd percentile48th percentile45th percentileThis district is 16 percentile points lower than the state figure and 13 percentile points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students chronically absent2022–23
11.1%27.3%27.8%This district is 16.2 percentage points lower than the state figure and 16.7 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Revenue per studentFY 2023
$17,693$18,721$19,509This district is $1,028 per student lower than the state figure and $1,816 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Spending per studentFY 2023
$15,800$15,248$15,859This district is $552 per student higher than the state figure and $59 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Capital outlay per studentFY 2023
$1,533$2,550$1,964This district is $1,017 per student lower than the state figure and $431 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Equipment spending per studentFY 2023
$9$404$336This district is $395 per student lower than the state figure and $327 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
$9,102$9,299$8,742This district is $197 per student lower than the state figure and $360 per student higher than the U.S. figure.
Benefits per studentFY 2023
$2,649$3,128$3,769This district is $479 per student lower than the state figure and $1,120 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt outstanding per studentFY 2023
$2,853$18,936$11,715This district is $16,083 per student lower than the state figure and $8,862 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Debt retired per studentFY 2023
$0$1,058$869This district is $1,058 per student lower than the state figure and $869 per student lower than the U.S. figure.
Students per teacher2023–24
10:115:115:1This district is 5.0 students per teacher lower than the state figure and 5.0 students per teacher lower than the U.S. figure.
District staff per 1,000 students2023–24
203.4147.7138.9This district is 55.7 staff per 1,000 students higher than the state figure and 64.5 staff per 1,000 students higher than the U.S. figure.
Instructional aides per 1,000 students2023–24
59.925.118.5This district is 34.8 aides per 1,000 students higher than the state figure and 41.4 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
0.5%10.6%12.0%This district is 10.1 percentage points lower than the state figure and 11.5 percentage points lower than the U.S. figure.
Students receiving IDEA services2021–22 · reporting schools
15.1%16.0%14.0%This district is 0.9 percentage points lower than the state figure and 1.1 percentage points higher than the U.S. figure.
Students with Section 504 plans2021–22 · reporting schools
0.5%2.9%3.9%This district is 2.4 percentage points lower than the state figure and 3.4 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
+0.5%+0.1%+0.5%This district is 0.4 percentage points higher than the state figure and about the same as the U.S. figure.
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals2021–22 · valid district records
11.2%31.4%50.6%This district is 20.2 percentage points lower than the state figure and 39.4 percentage points lower 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
9.4%7.5%9.0%This district is 1.9 percentage points higher than the state figure and 0.4 percentage points higher 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 5171 students
82.6%Grades 6–836 students
17.4%See enrollment for every grade
Kindergarten34
Grade 128
Grade 223
Grade 333
Grade 430
Grade 523
Grade 614
Grade 712
Grade 810
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 teachers1.7 FTE
Elementary teachers12.5 FTE
Secondary teachers4.8 FTE
Ungraded teachers2 FTE
Instructional coordinators2 FTE
District administrators1 FTE
Other support staff0.7 FTE
Final NCES Common Core of Data staff file, 2023–24. These are full-time-equivalent positions, not employee headcounts, vacancies or caseloads.
Teachers and staff
Teacher workforce
Loading the district’s workforce comparison…
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.
0.5%Students learning English1 students · 1 of 2 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
15.1%Students receiving IDEA special-education services32 students · 2 of 2 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
0.5%Students with Section 504 plans1 students · 1 of 2 schools reported both this measure and enrollment
0.0%English learners also receiving IDEA services0 students · 2 of 2 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.
Harbor City International CharterDuluth, MN205 studentsSimilar enrollment, English-learner enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →World Learner Charter SchoolChaska, MN203 studentsSimilar enrollment, English-learner enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Lancaster Public School DistrictLancaster, MN202 studentsSimilar enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Bluffview MontessoriWinona, MN214 studentsSimilar enrollment, English-learner enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →Norman County East School DistrictTwin Valley, MN199 studentsSimilar enrollment, English-learner enrollment, special-education enrollment · View profile →
Student outcomes
How are students doing?
Four views answer different questions. State test percentages show grade-level expectations; the national research trend shows change over time; graduation and dropout measures describe high-school outcomes.
Are results improving over time?
32ndlatest estimated national standing
20222025
9 percentile points lower than 2022.
College and career outcomes
College enrollment, persistence, credentials and career readiness are not published in one comparable national district file. They will appear here only when an official state or district release can be matched reliably.
State proficiency standards differ and should not be used for cross-state rankings. Graduation ranges and privacy protections are preserved exactly. The academic trend uses Stanford Education Data Archive estimates and is not a state proficiency percentage.
Academic results · 2025
How do results differ among student groups?
Students not economically disadvantaged106 assessments
47 out of 100White students99 assessments
47 out of 100Mal99 assessments
42 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$13,854
→FY 2023$15,800
FY 2022$1,607
→FY 2023$1,533
FY 2022$3,117
→FY 2023$2,853
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?
29 of 206 students
31 of 206 students
25 of 225 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 programs2 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?
3Out-of-school suspensions2 reporting schoolsSee schools →0In-school suspensions2 reporting schoolsSee schools →0Law-enforcement referrals2 reporting schoolsSee schools →0School-related arrests2 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?2 years of resultsLatest research estimate: 2025Explore and compare →Are students missing too much school?11.1% chronically absent2022–23 · 225 students measuredExplore and compare →Is the district improving?Declined overallCompare the earliest and latest available yearsExplore and compare →Where are student-group gaps largest?3 student groups2025 research estimatesExplore and compare →How much does the district spend?$15,800current spending per studentExplore and compare →Does the district have enough support staff?No 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 →