Enrollment
797
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cottage Grove, MN
Grey Cloud Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Grey Cloud Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 273381002305
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Grey Cloud Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Cottage Grove · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.6:1
- students per teacher
- 14.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Grey Cloud Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Grey Cloud Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Cottage Grove, MN.
School address
District: South Washington County Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 273381002305 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grey Cloud Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Grey Cloud Elementary
Grey Cloud Elementary is a lower-poverty, large elementary school in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, enrolling 797 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.0% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Minnesota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 91% of state schools at 797 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 280 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #19, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 53/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
South Washington County Schools also operates East Ridge High School (2,072 students) and Park High School (1,992 students) alongside Grey Cloud 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 Grey Cloud Elementary compares
Grey Cloud 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.0% | ▼ 67% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 797 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
797
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,382
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
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 66.1%
Asian 10.4%
African American 9.8%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Grey Cloud Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Washington County Schools, which includes Grey Cloud Elementary.
$13,382
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 59.0%
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 Grey Cloud Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodbury High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodbury Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Grey Cloud Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,072
- Students per teacher
- 44.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,992
- Students per teacher
- 36.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,943
- Students per teacher
- 43.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 53:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 38.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~797 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Grey Cloud Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Grey Cloud Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- South Washington County 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 Grey Cloud Elementary
How many students attend Grey Cloud Elementary?
Grey Cloud Elementary has 797 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cottage Grove, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grey Cloud Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Grey Cloud Elementary is 16.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Grey Cloud Elementary?
14.0% of students at Grey Cloud Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grey Cloud Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Grey Cloud Elementary is White at 66.1% of enrollment, in Cottage Grove, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grey Cloud Elementary?
Grey Cloud Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 Grey Cloud Elementary rank among elementary schools in Cottage Grove?
By Resource Investment Index, Grey Cloud Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Cottage Grove, 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 Cottage Grove on the city page.
Is Grey Cloud Elementary a good school?
Grey Cloud Elementary earns 60/100 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 South Washington County Schools?
Besides Grey Cloud Elementary, South Washington County Schools also operates East Ridge High School (2,072 students), Park High School (1,992 students), and Woodbury High School (1,943 students). See the South Washington County 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.