Enrollment
465
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Paynesville, MN
Paynesville Area High School
Federal NCES profile for Paynesville Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272814001239
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paynesville Area High School earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.1:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 22.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 465
- students enrolled
Paynesville Area High School has class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Paynesville Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272814001239 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paynesville Area High School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paynesville Area High School
Paynesville Area High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Paynesville, Minnesota, enrolling 465 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.1:1 is larger than about 86% of Minnesota schools and 34% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 465 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 438 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #389, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 465 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Paynesville Public School District, also runs Paynesville Elementary (429 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 Paynesville Area High School compares
Paynesville Area High School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.1:1 | ▲ 34% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.7% | ▼ 47% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 465 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
465
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% 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
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 86% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$13,290
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 465 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 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 91.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.4, Paynesville Area High School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paynesville Public School District, which includes Paynesville Area High School.
$13,290
Per student
-13%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 61.2%
Federal 10.3%
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 Paynesville Area High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paynesville Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paynesville Area High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 429
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~465 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paynesville Area High School's federal record.
- Compare Paynesville Area High School against another school. Compare schools
- Paynesville 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 Paynesville Area High School
How many students attend Paynesville Area High School?
Paynesville Area High School has 465 students enrolled. It is a public school in Paynesville, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paynesville Area High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paynesville Area High School is 21.1:1, which is 34% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paynesville Area High School?
22.7% of students at Paynesville Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paynesville Area High School?
The largest demographic group at Paynesville Area High School is White at 91.2% of enrollment, in Paynesville, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paynesville Area High School?
Paynesville Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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).
Is Paynesville Area High School a good school?
Paynesville Area High School earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. 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 Paynesville Public School District?
Besides Paynesville Area High School, Paynesville Public School District also operates Paynesville Elementary (429 students). See the Paynesville 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.