Enrollment
371
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 272897000041
Pine River-Backus High School — Pine River, MN
Federal NCES profile for Pine River-Backus High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 1
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pine River-Backus High School 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 High School reports 371 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Minnesota average and 10% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 371 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.6% 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 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 Pine River-Backus High School 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.7% | ▲ 9% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 371 | top 61% | — | — |
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
46.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 40% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
39.6%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 371 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 371 Top 61% in Minnesota — larger than 39% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.7% +9% vs state
NCES ID 272897000041
Student demographics
White 93.3%
Two or More 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 371:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.6%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pine River-Backus School District, which includes Pine River-Backus High School.
$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
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- 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 High School
How many students attend Pine River-Backus High School?
Pine River-Backus High School has 371 students enrolled. It is a other school in PINE RIVER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pine River-Backus High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pine River-Backus High School is 13.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 15% 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 High School?
46.7% of students at Pine River-Backus High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pine River-Backus High School?
The largest demographic group at Pine River-Backus High School is White at 93.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in PINE RIVER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pine River-Backus High School?
Pine River-Backus High School 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.