Austin Public School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Austin, Minnesota - 11 schools

An equity score of 56/100 ranks Austin Public School District #153 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,871 per pupil, Austin Public School District ranks #190 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

5,120
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$14,871
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Austin Public School District operates 11 public schools serving 5,120 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 4 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Mower County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,871 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 17.0% local, 68.0% state, and 15.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 56/100, ranked #153 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 538.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 30.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 41.1% White, 32.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Banfield Elementary, with a diversity index of 73.8/100.

Its largest campus is Austin Senior High, enrolling 1,485 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Austin Community Learning Center, at 87 students, a 17x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Austin Senior High accounts for 26.9% of all Austin Public School District student enrollment

That concentration means Austin Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Austin Public School District school enrollment varies 17× across entities

Austin Public School District school enrollment ranges from 87 students (lowest) to 1,485 students (highest), a spread of 1,398 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Austin Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Austin Public School District student-counselor ratio is 539:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Austin Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 30.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

15.0%
Federal
68.0%
State
17.0%
Local

Funding Equity

56
Equity Score
153 / 410
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 11 schools in Austin Public School District.

White 41.1%
Hispanic or Latino 32.0%
African American 7.6%
Asian 11.5%
Multiracial 4.2%
Other 3.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 68.0/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Austin Public School District's schools, above the Minnesota average of 42.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Banfield Elementary 73.8
  2. 2 Austin Community Learning Center 73.7
  3. 3 Ellis Middle 72.6
  4. 4 Sumner Elementary 72.6
  5. 5 I.J. Holton Intermediate School 72.1

Programs & Resources

1 / 11
Schools with AP
8 AP courses total
538.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
30.9%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Austin Public School District

School Enrollment
Austin Senior High
1,485
Ellis Middle
726
I.J. Holton Intermediate School
712
Banfield Elementary
574
Southgate Elementary
539
Sumner Elementary
387
Neveln Elementary
381
Woodson Kindergarten Center
352
Austin Area Learning Center
172
Austin Online Academy
111
Austin Community Learning Center
87

How Austin Public School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Cambridge-Isanti Public School Dist Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Owatonna Public School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Minnesota Transitions Charter Sch Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Austin Public School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Minnesota

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Anoka-Hennepin School District
38,590 students · 52 schools · $14,265/pupil
Compare vs Austin Public School District →
Saint Paul Public Schools
32,316 students · 99 schools · $20,457/pupil
Compare vs Austin Public School District →
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
29,221 students · 41 schools · $14,314/pupil
Compare vs Austin Public School District →
Osseo Public School District
20,737 students · 33 schools · $15,525/pupil
Compare vs Austin Public School District →

Compare Austin Public School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Anoka-Hennepin School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Austin Public School District?

Austin Public School District has 11 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 5 elementary, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 5,120 students.

How much does Austin Public School District spend per student?

Austin Public School District spends $14,871 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #153 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Austin Public School District?

Austin Public School District students are 41.1% White, 32.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 7.6% African American, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Austin Public School District?

Austin Public School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #153 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.