Enrollment
139
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bigfork, MN
Bigfork Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bigfork Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271317000882
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bigfork Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 53.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 139
- students enrolled
Bigfork Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Grand Rapids Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271317000882 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bigfork Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bigfork Elementary
Bigfork Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bigfork, Minnesota, enrolling 139 students.
At 15.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 139 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 144 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #11, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (12%) (diversity index 40/100).
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Grand Rapids Public School District also operates Grand Rapids Senior High (1,091 students) and Robert J. Elkington Middle School (764 students) alongside Bigfork Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bigfork Elementary compares
Bigfork Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.5% | ▲ 25% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 139 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
139
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 58% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,334
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 76.3%
Two or More 11.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
African American 0.7%
Largest group: White at 76.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.7, Bigfork Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public School District, which includes Bigfork Elementary.
$14,334
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bigfork Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert J. Elkington Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Rapids Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Rapids Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cohasset Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bigfork Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,091
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 764
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 639
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~139 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bigfork Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bigfork Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Grand Rapids Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bigfork Elementary
How many students attend Bigfork Elementary?
Bigfork Elementary has 139 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bigfork, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bigfork Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bigfork Elementary is 15.4:1, which is 3% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bigfork Elementary?
53.5% of students at Bigfork Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bigfork Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bigfork Elementary is White at 76.3% of enrollment, in Bigfork, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bigfork Elementary?
Bigfork Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bigfork Elementary a good school?
Bigfork Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Grand Rapids Public School District?
Besides Bigfork Elementary, Grand Rapids Public School District also operates Grand Rapids Senior High (1,091 students), Robert J. Elkington Middle School (764 students), and East Rapids Elementary (639 students). See the Grand Rapids Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.