Enrollment
580
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pipestone, MN
Pipestone Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Pipestone Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270010801262
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pipestone Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Pipestone · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 41.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Pipestone Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pipestone Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Pipestone, MN.
School address
District: Pipestone Area School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270010801262 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pipestone Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pipestone Elementary
Pipestone Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Pipestone, Minnesota, enrolling 580 students.
At 14.1:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 41.8% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 580 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 338 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #259, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 580 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Pipestone Area School District also operates Pipestone Senior High (302 students) and Pipestone Middle (244 students) alongside Pipestone 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 Pipestone Elementary compares
Pipestone 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 | 14.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.8% | ▼ 2% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 580 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
580
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 47% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$13,787
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 580 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 62.9%
Hispanic or Latino 26.4%
Two or More 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 62.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.1, Pipestone Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pipestone Area School District, which includes Pipestone Elementary.
$13,787
Per student
-10%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.0%
State 64.8%
Federal 14.2%
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 Pipestone Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipestone Senior High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pipestone Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heartland Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pipestone Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 302
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- 6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
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 (~580 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pipestone Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Pipestone Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pipestone Area 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 Pipestone Elementary
How many students attend Pipestone Elementary?
Pipestone Elementary has 580 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pipestone, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pipestone Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Pipestone Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 10% 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 Pipestone Elementary?
41.8% of students at Pipestone Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pipestone Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Pipestone Elementary is White at 62.9% of enrollment, in Pipestone, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pipestone Elementary?
Pipestone Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Pipestone Elementary rank among public schools in Pipestone?
By Resource Investment Index, Pipestone Elementary ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Pipestone, 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 Pipestone on the city page.
Is Pipestone Elementary a good school?
Pipestone Elementary earns 29/100 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 Pipestone Area School District?
Besides Pipestone Elementary, Pipestone Area School District also operates Pipestone Senior High (302 students), Pipestone Middle (244 students), and Heartland Elementary (12 students). See the Pipestone Area 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.