Enrollment
513
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 271137000520
Parker Elementary — Elk River, MN
Federal NCES profile for Parker Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Elk River Public School District · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parker Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Parker Elementary reports 513 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Minnesota average and 50% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1026 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Elk River Public School District spends $18,226 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 61.0% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Parker Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.3:1 | ▲ 15% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.0% | ▼ 39% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 513 | top 76% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
26.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% 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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 78% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,226
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 1026 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 513 Top 76% in Minnesota — larger than 24% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.0% -39% vs state
NCES ID 271137000520
Student demographics
White 83.8%
African American 6.6%
Two or More 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Asian 1.8%
Largest group: White at 83.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 1026:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.9%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elk River Public School District, which includes Parker Elementary.
$18,226
Per student
-14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 61.0%
Federal 7.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 37:1
- Enrollment
- 1,562
- Students per teacher
- 32.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 49:1
- Enrollment
- 953
- Students per teacher
- 38.8:1
- Enrollment
- 755
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Elk River
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Twin Lakes Elementary
Standard public school
704 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Meadowvale Elementary
Standard public school
554 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elementary
Standard public school
554 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Three Rivers Montessori School
Standard public school
119 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Online728 Elementary School
Standard public school
32 students
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Parker Elementary
How many students attend Parker Elementary?
Parker Elementary has 513 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ELK RIVER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parker Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Parker Elementary is 18.3:1, which is 15% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Parker Elementary?
26.0% of students at Parker Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parker Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Parker Elementary is White at 83.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in ELK RIVER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parker Elementary?
Parker Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.