Enrollment
521
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 272835001253
Pillager Elementary — Pillager, MN
Federal NCES profile for Pillager Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 27
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: Pillager 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pillager 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
Pillager Elementary reports 521 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Minnesota average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 261 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pillager Public School District spends $17,936 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.7% from local sources (property taxes), 67.7% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Pillager 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 25% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▼ 11% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 521 | 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
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
12:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 28% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.4%
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
$17,936
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 261 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 521 Top 76% in Minnesota — larger than 24% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 12:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.1% -11% vs state
NCES ID 272835001253
Student demographics
White 93.7%
Two or More 4.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
Largest group: White at 93.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 261:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.4%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pillager Public School District, which includes Pillager Elementary.
$17,936
Per student
-15%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.7%
State 67.7%
Federal 10.6%
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
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
Similar other schools in Pillager
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Pillager Elementary
How many students attend Pillager Elementary?
Pillager Elementary has 521 students enrolled. It is a other school in PILLAGER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pillager Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pillager Elementary is 12:1, which is 25% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pillager Elementary?
38.1% of students at Pillager Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pillager Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pillager Elementary is White at 93.7%. The school serves a student body in PILLAGER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pillager Elementary?
Pillager Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.