Enrollment
234
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cook, MN
North Woods Elementary
Federal NCES profile for North Woods Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270000804456
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Woods Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% of Minnesota schools.
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10.2:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 43.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 234
- students enrolled
North Woods Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Louis County School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270000804456 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Woods Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Woods Elementary
North Woods Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cook, Minnesota, enrolling 234 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.2:1 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.
With 234 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 245 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #223, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (17%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 936 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students) and Cherry Elementary (297 students) alongside North Woods 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 North Woods Elementary compares
North Woods 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 35% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 234 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
234
Bigger than 23% 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
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 19% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.6%
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
$17,445
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 72.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.7%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
Largest group: White at 72.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, North Woods Elementary is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis County School District, which includes North Woods Elementary.
$17,445
Per student
+14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 11.4%
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 North Woods Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Ridge Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cherry Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cherry Secondary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Ridge Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Woods Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Woods Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 303
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 273
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~234 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Woods Elementary's federal record.
- Compare North Woods Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- St. Louis County 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 North Woods Elementary
How many students attend North Woods Elementary?
North Woods Elementary has 234 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cook, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Woods Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at North Woods Elementary is 10.2:1, which is 35% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 35% 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 North Woods Elementary?
43.3% of students at North Woods Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Woods Elementary?
The largest demographic group at North Woods Elementary is White at 72.6% of enrollment, in Cook, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Woods Elementary?
North Woods Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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).
Is North Woods Elementary a good school?
North Woods Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 81% 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 St. Louis County School District?
Besides North Woods Elementary, St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students), Cherry Elementary (297 students), and Cherry Secondary (273 students). See the St. Louis County 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.