Enrollment
14
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Northfield, MN
Northfield Portage Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Northfield Portage Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 272388005426
👥 S:T ratio 72
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northfield Portage Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Northfield · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 71.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Northfield Portage Elementary has class sizes smaller than 90% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northfield Portage Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, MN.
School address
District: Northfield Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272388005426 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-56% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northfield Portage Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northfield Portage Elementary
Northfield Portage Elementary is a higher-need, small elementary school in Northfield, Minnesota, enrolling 14 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7:1, Northfield Portage Elementary is leaner than roughly 90% of Minnesota schools and 56% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 71.4% of students qualify for free meals, 67% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Minnesota schools, with 14 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 58 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Northfield Public School District also operates Northfield Senior High (1,283 students) and Northfield Middle (845 students) alongside Northfield Portage 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 Northfield Portage Elementary compares
Northfield Portage 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 | 7:1 | ▼ 56% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.4% | ▲ 67% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 14 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
14
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
7:1
students per teacher
- 56% below state mean
Top 10% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,875
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northfield Public School District, which includes Northfield Portage Elementary.
$15,875
Per student
+4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 56.3%
Federal 9.1%
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 Northfield Portage Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northfield Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bridgewater Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenvale Park Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spring Creek Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northfield Portage Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,283
- Students per teacher
- 38.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 38.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 564
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~14 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northfield Portage Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Northfield Portage Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Northfield 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 Northfield Portage Elementary
How many students attend Northfield Portage Elementary?
Northfield Portage Elementary has 14 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Northfield, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northfield Portage Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Northfield Portage Elementary is 7:1, which is 56% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 55% 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 Northfield Portage Elementary?
71.4% of students at Northfield Portage Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northfield Portage Elementary?
Northfield Portage Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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 Northfield Portage Elementary rank among elementary schools in Northfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Northfield Portage Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, 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 Northfield on the city page.
Is Northfield Portage Elementary a good school?
Northfield Portage Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Northfield Public School District?
Besides Northfield Portage Elementary, Northfield Public School District also operates Northfield Senior High (1,283 students), Northfield Middle (845 students), and Bridgewater Elementary (564 students). See the Northfield 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.