Enrollment
275
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Park River, ND
Park River Area Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Park River Area Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 380040100145
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Park River Area Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota median.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 19.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 275
- students enrolled
Park River Area Elementary School has class sizes near the North Dakota median. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Park River Area 8 · North Dakota
NCES ID 380040100145 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.1%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Park River Area Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Park River Area Elementary School
Park River Area Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Park River, North Dakota, enrolling 275 students.
At 12:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Dakota median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 19.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 275 puts it in the larger third of North Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.
Against 104 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #71.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Park River Area 8 spends $11,221 per pupil, 39% below the North Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Park River's public schools, it stands alongside Park River Area High School (195 students): Park River Area Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 13.9:1).
Its district, Park River Area 8, also runs Park River Area High School (195 students).
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 River Area Elementary School compares
Park River Area Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▲ 2% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.1% | ▼ 32% | 28.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 275 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
275
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 58% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.5%
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
$11,221
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Dakota avg of $18,450
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 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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.
Student demographics
White 88.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 88.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.1, Park River Area Elementary School is less mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Park River Area 8, which includes Park River Area Elementary School.
$11,221
Per student
-39%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.7%
State 53.3%
Federal 18.0%
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 River Area Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park River Area High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Park River Area Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 195
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Park River
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~275 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Park River Area Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Park River Area Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Park River Area 8'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 River Area Elementary School
How many students attend Park River Area Elementary School?
Park River Area Elementary School has 275 students enrolled. It is a public school in Park River, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Park River Area Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Park River Area Elementary School is 12:1, which is 2% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Park River Area Elementary School?
19.1% of students at Park River Area Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Park River Area Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Park River Area Elementary School is White at 88.0% of enrollment, in Park River, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Park River Area Elementary School?
Park River Area Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Park River Area Elementary School a good school?
Park River Area Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Dakota 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 River Area 8?
Besides Park River Area Elementary School, Park River Area 8 also operates Park River Area High School (195 students). See the Park River Area 8 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.