Enrollment
371
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pine River, MN
Pine River-Backus High School
Federal NCES profile for Pine River-Backus High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272897000041
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pine River-Backus High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Pine River · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 46.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Pine River-Backus High School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pine River-Backus High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Pine River, MN.
School address
District: Pine River-Backus School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272897000041 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-16% 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
What stands out at Pine River-Backus High School
Pine River-Backus High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pine River, Minnesota, enrolling 371 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 371 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 313 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #277, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 371 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pine River-Backus School District also operates Pine River-Backus Elementary (478 students) and Pine River-Backus Alp (57 students) alongside Pine River-Backus High School.
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 River-Backus High School compares
Pine River-Backus 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 16% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.7% | ▲ 9% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 371 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
371
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 40% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.6%
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
$12,830
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 12.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.8, Pine River-Backus High School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pine River-Backus School District, which includes Pine River-Backus High School.
$12,830
Per student
-16%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Pine River-Backus High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River-Backus Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pine River-Backus Alp | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pine River-Backus High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 57
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~371 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pine River-Backus High School's federal record.
- Compare Pine River-Backus High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pine River-Backus 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 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 public 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 13.3:1, which is 16% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 15% lower 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (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).
How does Pine River-Backus High School rank among public schools in Pine River?
By Resource Investment Index, Pine River-Backus High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Pine River, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pine River on the city page.
Is Pine River-Backus High School a good school?
Pine River-Backus High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Pine River-Backus School District?
Besides Pine River-Backus High School, Pine River-Backus School District also operates Pine River-Backus Elementary (478 students) and Pine River-Backus Alp (57 students). See the Pine River-Backus 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.