Enrollment
861
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Park Rapids, MN
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Park Rapids Area Century Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272808001233
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 7
- public schools in Park Rapids · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 51.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Park Rapids Area Century Elementary ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Park Rapids, MN.
School address
District: Park Rapids Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272808001233 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Park Rapids Area Century Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Park Rapids, Minnesota, enrolling 861 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 92% of state schools at 861 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 128 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #95, 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 861 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Park Rapids Public School District also operates Park Rapids Area Century Middle (497 students) and Park Rapids Senior High (420 students) alongside Park Rapids Area Century 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 Park Rapids Area Century Elementary compares
Park Rapids Area Century 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.3% | ▲ 20% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 861 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
861
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,193
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 861 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 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 80.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Two or More 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
African American 0.1%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: White at 80.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.7, Park Rapids Area Century Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Park Rapids Public School District, which includes Park Rapids Area Century Elementary.
$13,193
Per student
-14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 63.0%
Federal 10.5%
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 Park Rapids Area Century Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Rapids Area Century Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Park Rapids Senior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Frank White Education Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Headwaters Educ Learning Program | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park Rapids Virtual Academy High | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Park Rapids Area Century Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 497
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 80
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 50
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 21
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 15/100
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 (~861 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Park Rapids Area Century Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Park Rapids Area Century Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Park Rapids 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 Park Rapids Area Century Elementary
How many students attend Park Rapids Area Century Elementary?
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary has 861 students enrolled. It is a public school in Park Rapids, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary is 16.9:1, which is 7% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary?
51.3% of students at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Park Rapids Area Century Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Park Rapids Area Century Elementary is White at 80.5% of enrollment, in Park Rapids, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Park Rapids Area Century Elementary?
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Park Rapids Area Century Elementary rank among public schools in Park Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Park Rapids Area Century Elementary ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Park Rapids, 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 Park Rapids on the city page.
Is Park Rapids Area Century Elementary a good school?
Park Rapids Area Century Elementary earns 29/100 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 Park Rapids Public School District?
Besides Park Rapids Area Century Elementary, Park Rapids Public School District also operates Park Rapids Area Century Middle (497 students), Park Rapids Senior High (420 students), and Frank White Education Center (80 students). See the Park Rapids 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.