Pine River-Backus School District
Public school district · Cass County · Minnesota · NCES district ID 2728970
Pine River-Backus School District spent $13,348 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 76% of the other Minnesota districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $15,094). Its 3 schools enrolled 906 students in 2024-25; 68.1% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,258 per student, up 6.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 80-84% (Minnesota: 83.3%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Minnesota districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Pine River-Backus in enrollment (889 to 912 students) and Pine River-Backus itself.
Where the money came from
$13,572,000 in revenue: 68.1% state, 21.3% local and 10.7% federal. Total spending including $782,000 of capital outlay was $13,772,000, or $15,251 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$9,236,000 68%
- Local$2,888,000 21%
- Federal$1,448,000 11%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 346 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25
903 students in 2022-23, 879 students in 2023-24, 906 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 903 | 70.3 | 12.9 |
| 2023-24 | 879 | 70.2 | 12.5 |
| 2024-25 | 906 | 65.6 | 13.8 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$4,275,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,734 per student
Pine River-Backus School District booked $4,275,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 70 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $60,854 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 43 in 100 Minnesota districts with a figure (state median $62,418, 464 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Minnesota teacher salary at $68,491 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $3,233,000 | 75.6% |
| Special education | $881,000 | 20.6% |
| Vocational | $81,000 | 1.9% |
| Other programs | $80,000 | 1.9% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,120 in 2018-19, $4,224 in 2019-20, $4,581 in 2020-21, $4,776 in 2021-22, $4,734 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Pine River-Backus School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 31% in math, against 51.1% in reading and 44.8% in math across Minnesota. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Minnesota, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Minnesota | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 45% | 51.1% | 420 |
| Math | 31% | 44.8% | 418 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
80-84% of the 75 students in Pine River-Backus School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 83.3% across Minnesota. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 80‑84% | 83.3% |
| Students in the class | 75 | 69,945 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
1 elementary school, 478 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River-Backus Elementary | 478 | 12.9 | 55.9% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 high schools, 428 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River-Backus High School | 371 | 14.2 | 45.6% | Eligible, no program |
| Pine River-Backus ALP | 57 | 23.8 | 49.1% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Pine River-Backus School District
- Website: prbschools.org
- Phone: (218) 587-4720
- Office: 401 Murray Ave, Pine River, MN 56474
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Pine River-Backus School District
- Minnesota districts by spending per studentPine River-Backus School District ranks 262 of 346 Minnesota districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,348).#262 of 346
- Every school district in MinnesotaPine River-Backus School District is the number 185 by size of 543 Minnesota districts, with 903 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#185 of 543
- Duluth Public Schools AcademyThe next larger Minnesota district: 908 students in fall 2022, $17,838 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,838
- Wabasha-Kellogg Public SchoolsThe next smaller Minnesota district: 899 students in fall 2022, $13,006 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,006
- Compare Pine River-Backus School District with Duluth Public Schools AcademyEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Pine River-Backus High School, its largest high school371 students in 2024-25, 14.2 per teacher.371
- Teacher salary spending across MinnesotaPine River-Backus School District spent $60,854 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,418); spending, not a salary.$60,854
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Pine River-Backus School District
How many schools and students are in Pine River-Backus School District?
3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 2 high), enrolling 906 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Pine River-Backus School District spend per student?
$13,348 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Minnesota median for districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $15,094 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,258 per student, up 6.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Pine River-Backus School District's money come from?
$13,572,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 68.1% state, 21.3% local and 10.7% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Pine River-Backus School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 143 of the 1,116 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 12.8%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Pine River-Backus School District spend on teacher salaries?
$4,275,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,734 per student. Divided by the 70 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $60,854 per teacher, more than 43 in 100 Minnesota districts (state median $62,418). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Minnesota teacher salary at $68,491 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Pine River-Backus School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Pine River-Backus School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 31% in math, against 51.1% in reading and 44.8% in math across Minnesota. Minnesota's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Pine River-Backus School District?
80-84% of the 75 students in Pine River-Backus School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 83.3% across Minnesota. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Pine River-Backus School District's NCES district ID?
2728970. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25