Enrollment
247
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, MN
Houston Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Houston Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271428000748
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 41.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Houston Elementary has class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Houston Elementary ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Houston, MN.
School address
District: Houston Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271428000748 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Houston Elementary
Houston Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Minnesota, enrolling 247 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 41.0% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 247 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 267 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #12, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Houston Public School District also operates Minnesota Virtual Academy High (706 students) and Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar (392 students) alongside Houston 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 Houston Elementary compares
Houston 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 35% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▼ 4% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 247 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
247
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 20% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,283
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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 93.9%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.6, Houston Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston Public School District, which includes Houston Elementary.
$14,283
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.6%
State 87.0%
Federal 3.4%
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 Houston Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Virtual Academy High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Minnesota Virtual Academy Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Houston Secondary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Summit Learning Program | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Houston Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 706
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 392
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- 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 (~247 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Houston Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Houston Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Houston 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 Houston Elementary
How many students attend Houston Elementary?
Houston Elementary has 247 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston Elementary is 10.3:1, which is 35% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 34% 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 Houston Elementary?
41.0% of students at Houston Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Houston Elementary is White at 93.9% of enrollment, in Houston, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston Elementary?
Houston Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Houston Elementary rank among public schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Houston Elementary ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Houston, 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 Houston on the city page.
Is Houston Elementary a good school?
Houston Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also less 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 Houston Public School District?
Besides Houston Elementary, Houston Public School District also operates Minnesota Virtual Academy High (706 students), Minnesota Virtual Academy Elementar (392 students), and Minnesota Virtual Academy Middle (333 students). See the Houston 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.