Enrollment
502
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Circle Pines, MN
Centennial Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Centennial Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270810000332
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Centennial Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Circle Pines · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Centennial Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Circle Pines, MN.
School address
District: Centennial Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270810000332 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Centennial Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Centennial Elementary
Centennial Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Circle Pines, Minnesota, enrolling 502 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.7% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 502 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 444 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #118.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and African American (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Centennial Public School District spends $12,270 per pupil, 20% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Centennial Public School District also operates Centennial High School (2,067 students) and Centennial Middle (1,595 students) alongside Centennial 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 Centennial Elementary compares
Centennial 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 19% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 64% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$12,270
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 51.8%
African American 22.3%
Asian 10.8%
Two or More 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 51.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.9, Centennial Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Centennial Public School District, which includes Centennial Elementary.
$12,270
Per student
-20%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 62.8%
Federal 6.9%
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 Centennial Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Blue Heron Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rice Lake Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centerville Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Centennial Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,067
- Students per teacher
- 32.8:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 1,595
- Students per teacher
- 36.3:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 707
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~502 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Centennial Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Centennial Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Centennial 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 Centennial Elementary
How many students attend Centennial Elementary?
Centennial Elementary has 502 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Circle Pines, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary is 16.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Centennial Elementary?
34.7% of students at Centennial Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centennial Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Centennial Elementary is White at 51.8% of enrollment, in Circle Pines, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Centennial Elementary?
Centennial Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Centennial Elementary rank among public schools in Circle Pines?
By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Circle Pines, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Circle Pines on the city page.
Is Centennial Elementary a good school?
Centennial Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Centennial Public School District?
Besides Centennial Elementary, Centennial Public School District also operates Centennial High School (2,067 students), Centennial Middle (1,595 students), and Blue Heron Elementary (707 students). See the Centennial 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.