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Finlayson, Minnesota - 3 schools
An equity score of 40/100 ranks East Central School District #271 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,881 per pupil, East Central School District ranks #285 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
777
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$13,881
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
East Central School District operates 3 public schools serving 777 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Pine County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,881 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 24.2% local, 66.4% state, and 9.5% 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 40/100, ranked #271 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 276:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 41.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 75.7% White, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Crossroads Area Learning Center, with a diversity index of 46.2/100.
Its largest campus is East Central Elementary, enrolling 391 students (53% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Crossroads Area Learning Center, at 32 students, a 12x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
East Central Elementary accounts for 50.3% of all East Central School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of East Central School District a distant remainder — means East Central School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
East Central School District school enrollment varies 12× across entities
East Central School District school enrollment ranges from 32 students (lowest) to 391 students (highest), a spread of 359 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.
East Central School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.4% 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.
East Central School District student-counselor ratio is 276:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within East Central School District is typically wider than the East Central School District-aggregate figure suggests.
East Central School District chronic absenteeism rate is 41.3% — 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.
How many schools are in East Central School District?
East Central School District has 3 schools, including 3 combined. Total enrollment is 777 students.
How much does East Central School District spend per student?
East Central School District spends $13,881 per student. The district has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #271 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of East Central School District?
East Central School District students are 75.7% White, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% African American, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for East Central School District?
East Central School District has an equity score of 40/100, ranking #271 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.