Enrollment
239
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · White Bear Lake, MN
Birch Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Birch Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 274236001786
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birch Lake Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #4 of 8
- schools in White Bear Lake · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 44.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Birch Lake Elementary has class sizes smaller than 78% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birch Lake Elementary ranks #4 of 8 schools in White Bear Lake, MN.
School address
District: White Bear Lake School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274236001786 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birch Lake Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birch Lake Elementary
Birch Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 239 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.5% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 239 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.
Against 232 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #48.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
White Bear Lake School District also operates White Bear North Campus Senior (1,359 students) and White Bear South Campus Senior (1,111 students) alongside Birch Lake 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 Birch Lake Elementary compares
Birch Lake 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.5% | ▲ 4% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 239 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
239
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 22% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,098
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
10
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 53.6%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
African American 11.3%
Two or More 9.2%
Asian 8.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 53.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.6, Birch Lake Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for White Bear Lake School District, which includes Birch Lake Elementary.
$15,098
Per student
-1%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 51.9%
Federal 9.3%
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 Birch Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Bear North Campus Senior | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Bear South Campus Senior | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sunrise Park Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Matoska International | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birch Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,359
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,111
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 922
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~239 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birch Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Birch Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- White Bear Lake 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 Birch Lake Elementary
How many students attend Birch Lake Elementary?
Birch Lake Elementary has 239 students enrolled. It is a public school in White Bear Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birch Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Birch Lake Elementary is 10.9:1, which is 31% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 31% 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 Birch Lake Elementary?
44.5% of students at Birch Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birch Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Birch Lake Elementary is White at 53.6% of enrollment, in White Bear Lake, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birch Lake Elementary?
Birch Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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).
How does Birch Lake Elementary rank among schools in White Bear Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Birch Lake Elementary ranks #4 of 8 schools in White Bear Lake, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in White Bear Lake on the city page.
Is Birch Lake Elementary a good school?
Birch Lake Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools. 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 White Bear Lake School District?
Besides Birch Lake Elementary, White Bear Lake School District also operates White Bear North Campus Senior (1,359 students), White Bear South Campus Senior (1,111 students), and Central Middle (922 students). See the White Bear Lake 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.