Enrollment
502
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cottage Grove, MN
Pine Hill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pine Hill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 273381001544
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pine Hill Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Cottage Grove · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 24.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Pine Hill Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pine Hill Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Cottage Grove, MN.
School address
District: South Washington County Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 273381001544 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pine Hill Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pine Hill Elementary
Pine Hill Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, enrolling 502 students.
At 15.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 502 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 471 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #14, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and Asian (14%) (diversity index 61/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
South Washington County Schools also operates East Ridge High School (2,072 students) and Park High School (1,992 students) alongside Pine Hill 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 Pine Hill Elementary compares
Pine Hill 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 | 15.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.9% | ▼ 42% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 60% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
7.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,382
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 59.2%
Asian 13.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
African American 9.6%
Two or More 7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 59.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.6, Pine Hill Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Washington County Schools, which includes Pine Hill Elementary.
$13,382
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 59.0%
Federal 6.9%
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 Pine Hill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Ridge High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Park High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodbury High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodbury Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pine Hill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,072
- Students per teacher
- 44.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,992
- Students per teacher
- 36.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 1,943
- Students per teacher
- 43.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,165
- Students per teacher
- 53:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 38.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary 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 (~502 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pine Hill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pine Hill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- South Washington County Schools'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 Pine Hill Elementary
How many students attend Pine Hill Elementary?
Pine Hill Elementary has 502 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cottage Grove, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pine Hill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pine Hill Elementary is 15.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pine Hill Elementary?
24.9% of students at Pine Hill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pine Hill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pine Hill Elementary is White at 59.2% of enrollment, in Cottage Grove, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pine Hill Elementary?
Pine Hill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pine Hill Elementary rank among elementary schools in Cottage Grove?
By Resource Investment Index, Pine Hill Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Cottage Grove, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cottage Grove on the city page.
Is Pine Hill Elementary a good school?
Pine Hill Elementary earns 63/100 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 South Washington County Schools?
Besides Pine Hill Elementary, South Washington County Schools also operates East Ridge High School (2,072 students), Park High School (1,992 students), and Woodbury High School (1,943 students). See the South Washington County Schools 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.