Enrollment
418
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 270819003180
Pioneer Ridge Middle School — Chaska, MN
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Ridge Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 4
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: Eastern Carver County Public School · 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer Ridge Middle 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
Pioneer Ridge Middle School reports 418 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the Minnesota average and 66% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 209 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Eastern Carver County Public School spends $17,464 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.5% from the state, and 7.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Pioneer Ridge Middle 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 | 14.2:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.7% | ▼ 59% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 418 | top 66% | — | — |
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
17.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 47% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.3%
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
$17,464
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 209 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 418 Top 66% in Minnesota — larger than 34% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 14.2:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.7% -59% vs state
NCES ID 270819003180
Student demographics
White 80.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 6.5%
African American 4.3%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 209:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Eastern Carver County Public School, which includes Pioneer Ridge Middle School.
$17,464
Per student
-17%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.8%
State 54.5%
Federal 7.7%
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
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,385
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
Similar middle schools in Chaska
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Pioneer Ridge Middle School
How many students attend Pioneer Ridge Middle School?
Pioneer Ridge Middle School has 418 students enrolled. It is a middle school in CHASKA, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Ridge Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer Ridge Middle School is 14.2:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 11% 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 Pioneer Ridge Middle School?
17.7% of students at Pioneer Ridge Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Ridge Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Ridge Middle School is White at 80.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in CHASKA, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Ridge Middle School?
Pioneer Ridge Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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.