Enrollment
478
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 272897000039
Pine River-Backus Elementary — Pine River, MN
Federal NCES profile for Pine River-Backus Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 34
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: Pine River-Backus 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pine River-Backus 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
Pine River-Backus Elementary reports 478 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the Minnesota average and 9% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pine River-Backus School District spends $14,928 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.3% from local sources (property taxes), 64.6% from the state, and 17.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Pine River-Backus 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 19% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.4% | ▲ 32% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 72% | — | — |
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
56.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 35% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.4%
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
$14,928
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 478 Top 72% in Minnesota — larger than 28% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.4% +32% vs state
NCES ID 272897000039
Student demographics
White 89.7%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.6%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.4%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pine River-Backus School District, which includes Pine River-Backus Elementary.
$14,928
Per student
-29%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.3%
State 64.6%
Federal 17.1%
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
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
Similar other schools in Pine River
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 Pine River-Backus Elementary
How many students attend Pine River-Backus Elementary?
Pine River-Backus Elementary has 478 students enrolled. It is a other school in PINE RIVER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pine River-Backus Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pine River-Backus Elementary is 12.9:1, which is 19% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 19% 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 Pine River-Backus Elementary?
56.4% of students at Pine River-Backus Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pine River-Backus Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pine River-Backus Elementary is White at 89.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in PINE RIVER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pine River-Backus Elementary?
Pine River-Backus Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.