Enrollment
419
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, MN
Northwinds Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Northwinds Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270720004186
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwinds Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 20.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwinds Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwinds Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Buffalo, MN.
School address
District: Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 270720004186 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwinds Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwinds Elementary
Northwinds Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Buffalo, Minnesota, enrolling 419 students.
At 15.5:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 20.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 419 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 383 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #194.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools also operates Buffalo Senior High (1,681 students) and Buffalo Community Middle (1,160 students) alongside Northwinds 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 Northwinds Elementary compares
Northwinds 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.4% | ▼ 52% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
419
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 58% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$13,428
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
5
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 94.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
African American 1.7%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.5, Northwinds Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools, which includes Northwinds Elementary.
$13,428
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 62.8%
Federal 8.4%
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 Northwinds Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buffalo Community Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tatanka Elementary Stem School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hanover Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montrose Elementary School of Innov | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwinds Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,681
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 363
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~419 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwinds Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Northwinds Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose 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 Northwinds Elementary
How many students attend Northwinds Elementary?
Northwinds Elementary has 419 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buffalo, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwinds Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwinds Elementary is 15.5:1, which is 2% 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 Northwinds Elementary?
20.4% of students at Northwinds Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwinds Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Northwinds Elementary is White at 94.0% of enrollment, in Buffalo, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwinds Elementary?
Northwinds Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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 Northwinds Elementary rank among elementary schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwinds Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo on the city page.
Is Northwinds Elementary a good school?
Northwinds Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools?
Besides Northwinds Elementary, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools also operates Buffalo Senior High (1,681 students), Buffalo Community Middle (1,160 students), and Tatanka Elementary Stem School (393 students). See the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose 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.