Enrollment
391
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Benson, MN
Northside Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Northside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270447000201
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northside Elementary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Benson · Resource Index
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 42.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Northside Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northside Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Benson, MN.
School address
District: Benson Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270447000201 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northside Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northside Elementary
Northside Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Benson, Minnesota, enrolling 391 students.
At 15.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.4% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 391 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 353 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #343, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 782 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Benson Public School District also operates Benson Secondary (334 students) and Heartland Girls Ranch (22 students) alongside Northside 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 Northside Elementary compares
Northside 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
391
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 59% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
40.2%
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
$13,866
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 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 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 2.8%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.5, Northside Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benson Public School District, which includes Northside Elementary.
$13,866
Per student
-9%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.8%
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 Northside Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heartland Girls Ranch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Benson Area Learning Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~391 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northside Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Northside Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Benson 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 Northside Elementary
How many students attend Northside Elementary?
Northside Elementary has 391 students enrolled. It is a public school in Benson, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Northside Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 1% 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 Northside Elementary?
42.4% of students at Northside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Northside Elementary is White at 80.6% of enrollment, in Benson, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northside Elementary?
Northside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (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).
How does Northside Elementary rank among schools in Benson?
By Resource Investment Index, Northside Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Benson, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Benson on the city page.
Is Northside Elementary a good school?
Northside Elementary earns 17/100 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 Benson Public School District?
Besides Northside Elementary, Benson Public School District also operates Benson Secondary (334 students), Heartland Girls Ranch (22 students), and Benson Area Learning Center (13 students). See the Benson 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.