Enrollment
308
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Belle Plaine, MN
Chatfield Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chatfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270405000183
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chatfield Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Belle Plaine · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 24.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Chatfield Elementary has class sizes smaller than 77% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chatfield Elementary ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Belle Plaine, MN.
School address
District: Belle Plaine Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270405000183 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chatfield Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chatfield Elementary
Chatfield Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, enrolling 308 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 308 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 319 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #123.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 308 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Belle Plaine Public School District spends $11,603 per pupil, 24% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Belle Plaine Public School District also operates Belle Plaine Senior High (475 students) and Oak Crest Elementary (432 students) alongside Chatfield 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 Chatfield Elementary compares
Chatfield 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 | 11:1 | ▼ 30% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.1% | ▼ 44% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 308 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
308
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
11:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 23% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.4%
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
$11,603
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 308 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 81.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 2.3%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 81.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.9, Chatfield Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belle Plaine Public School District, which includes Chatfield Elementary.
$11,603
Per student
-24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.8%
State 63.8%
Federal 9.4%
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 Chatfield Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Plaine Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Crest Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Belle Plaine Junior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Belle Plaine Ecse | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Belle Plaine Transitions/Work Exper | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Chatfield Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 27.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 255
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 42
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~308 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chatfield Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chatfield Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Belle Plaine 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 Chatfield Elementary
How many students attend Chatfield Elementary?
Chatfield Elementary has 308 students enrolled. It is a public school in Belle Plaine, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chatfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chatfield Elementary is 11:1, which is 30% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 30% 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 Chatfield Elementary?
24.1% of students at Chatfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chatfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chatfield Elementary is White at 81.8% of enrollment, in Belle Plaine, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chatfield Elementary?
Chatfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Chatfield Elementary rank among public schools in Belle Plaine?
By Resource Investment Index, Chatfield Elementary ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Belle Plaine, 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 Belle Plaine on the city page.
Is Chatfield Elementary a good school?
Chatfield Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of 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 Belle Plaine Public School District?
Besides Chatfield Elementary, Belle Plaine Public School District also operates Belle Plaine Senior High (475 students), Oak Crest Elementary (432 students), and Belle Plaine Junior High (255 students). See the Belle Plaine 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.