Enrollment
564
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Northfield, MN
Bridgewater Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bridgewater Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 272388002841
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bridgewater Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 5
- elementary schools in Northfield · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Bridgewater Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bridgewater Elementary ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, MN.
School address
District: Northfield Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272388002841 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bridgewater Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bridgewater Elementary
Bridgewater Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Northfield, Minnesota, enrolling 564 students.
At 14.1:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 22.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 564 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 462 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #54.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 38/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Northfield Public School District also operates Northfield Senior High (1,283 students) and Northfield Middle (845 students) alongside Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater Elementary compares
Bridgewater 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 47% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
564
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 47% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,875
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 77.1%
Hispanic or Latino 13.7%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 2.3%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.3, Bridgewater Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northfield Public School District, which includes Bridgewater Elementary.
$15,875
Per student
+4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 56.3%
Federal 9.1%
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 Bridgewater Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northfield Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenvale Park Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northfield Community Education Cntr | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bridgewater Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,283
- Students per teacher
- 38.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 38.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 117
- Students per teacher
- 6.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary 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 (~564 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bridgewater Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bridgewater Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Northfield 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 Bridgewater Elementary
How many students attend Bridgewater Elementary?
Bridgewater Elementary has 564 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Northfield, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bridgewater Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bridgewater Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 10% 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 Bridgewater Elementary?
22.8% of students at Bridgewater Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bridgewater Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bridgewater Elementary is White at 77.1% of enrollment, in Northfield, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bridgewater Elementary?
Bridgewater Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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).
How does Bridgewater Elementary rank among elementary schools in Northfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Bridgewater Elementary ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Northfield on the city page.
Is Bridgewater Elementary a good school?
Bridgewater Elementary earns 55/100 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 Northfield Public School District?
Besides Bridgewater Elementary, Northfield Public School District also operates Northfield Senior High (1,283 students), Northfield Middle (845 students), and Greenvale Park Elementary (488 students). See the Northfield 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.