Enrollment
625
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Moorhead, MN
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dorothy Dodds Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 272142005026
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 5
- elementary schools in Moorhead · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 43.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dorothy Dodds Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Moorhead, MN.
School address
District: Moorhead Area Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 272142005026 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dorothy Dodds Elementary School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Moorhead, Minnesota, enrolling 625 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.3% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 625 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 309 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #143.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 625 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Moorhead Area Public Schools also operates Horizon Middle School (2,158 students) and Moorhead High School (2,122 students) alongside Dorothy Dodds Elementary School.
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 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School compares
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 625 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
625
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 33% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$14,257
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 625 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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 58.4%
African American 19.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 6.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.1%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 58.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.5, Dorothy Dodds Elementary School is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Moorhead Area Public Schools, which includes Dorothy Dodds Elementary School.
$14,257
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 64.8%
Federal 15.9%
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 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moorhead High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| S.G. Reinertsen Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ellen Hopkins Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert Asp Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dorothy Dodds Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,158
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~625 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dorothy Dodds Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dorothy Dodds Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Moorhead Area Public Schools'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 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
How many students attend Dorothy Dodds Elementary School?
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School has 625 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Moorhead, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School is 12.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 20% 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 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School?
43.3% of students at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dorothy Dodds Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School is White at 58.4% of enrollment, in Moorhead, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dorothy Dodds Elementary School?
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Dorothy Dodds Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Moorhead?
By Resource Investment Index, Dorothy Dodds Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Moorhead, 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 Moorhead on the city page.
Is Dorothy Dodds Elementary School a good school?
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School earns 38/100 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 Moorhead Area Public Schools?
Besides Dorothy Dodds Elementary School, Moorhead Area Public Schools also operates Horizon Middle School (2,158 students), Moorhead High School (2,122 students), and S.G. Reinertsen Elementary (719 students). See the Moorhead Area Public Schools 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.