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Pine River, Minnesota - 3 schools
An equity score of 51/100 ranks Pine River-Backus School District #191 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,830 per pupil, Pine River-Backus School District ranks #360 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
903
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$12,830
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Pine River-Backus School District operates 3 public schools serving 903 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high 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 Cass County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,830 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 18.3% local, 64.6% state, and 17.1% 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 51/100, ranked #191 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.
a 371:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 92.0% White, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Pine River-Backus Elementary, with a diversity index of 19.2/100.
Its largest campus is Pine River-Backus Elementary, enrolling 478 students (53% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pine River-Backus Alp, at 57 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Pine River-Backus Elementary accounts for 52.8% of all Pine River-Backus School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Pine River-Backus School District a distant remainder — means Pine River-Backus 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.
Pine River-Backus School District school enrollment varies 8.4× across entities
Pine River-Backus School District school enrollment ranges from 57 students (lowest) to 478 students (highest), a spread of 421 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.
Pine River-Backus School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.8% 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.
Pine River-Backus School District student-counselor ratio is 371:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Pine River-Backus School District chronic absenteeism rate is 33.0% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Pine River-Backus 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.
How many schools are in Pine River-Backus School District?
Pine River-Backus School District has 3 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high. Total enrollment is 903 students.
How much does Pine River-Backus School District spend per student?
Pine River-Backus School District spends $12,830 per student. The district has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #191 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Pine River-Backus School District?
Pine River-Backus School District students are 92.0% White, 1.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Pine River-Backus School District?
Pine River-Backus School District has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #191 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.