Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools

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.

Sauk Rapids, Minnesota - 6 schools

An equity score of 45/100 ranks Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools #237 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,440 per pupil, Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools ranks #321 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

4,423
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$13,440
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools operates 6 public schools serving 4,423 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Benton County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,440 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 21.6% local, 69.8% state, and 8.6% 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 45/100, ranked #237 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 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 533.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 79.9% White, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 4.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hillside Early Childhood Center, with a diversity index of 49.5/100.

Its largest campus is Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High, enrolling 1,319 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Hillside Early Childhood Center, at 58 students, a 23x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High accounts for 29.8% of all Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools-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

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools school enrollment varies 23× across entities

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 58 students (lowest) to 1,319 students (highest), a spread of 1,261 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. 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

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 534:1 — 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

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 36.3% — 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.

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

Where does the funding come from?

8.6%
Federal
69.8%
State
21.6%
Local

Funding Equity

45
Equity Score
237 / 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 6 schools in Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools.

White 79.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
African American 4.9%
Asian 1.8%
Multiracial 8.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 34.2/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools's schools, below the Minnesota average of 42.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Hillside Early Childhood Center 49.5
  2. 2 Pleasantview Elementary 42.0
  3. 3 Mississippi Heights Elementary 35.7
  4. 4 Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School 32.0
  5. 5 Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High 30.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 6
Schools with AP
5 AP courses total
533.9:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
36.3%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools

School Enrollment
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High
1,319
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School
1,055
Mississippi Heights Elementary
808
Pleasantview Elementary
734
Rice Elementary
357
Hillside Early Childhood Center
58

How Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
St. Louis Park Public School Dist. Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
St. Francis Area Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Willmar Public School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
New Prague Area Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Monticello Public School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools'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.

Compare Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools

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 Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools?

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 4,423 students.

How much does Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools spend per student?

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools spends $13,440 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #237 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools?

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools students are 79.9% White, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 4.9% African American, 1.8% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools?

Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #237 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.