Enrollment
180
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Northfield, MN
Prairie Creek Community School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Creek Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270021203273Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Creek Community School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #2 of 5
- elementary schools in Northfield · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 9.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Creek Community School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Creek Community School ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, MN.
School address
District: Prairie Creek Community School · Minnesota
NCES ID 270021203273 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Creek Community School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Creek Community School
Prairie Creek Community School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Northfield, Minnesota, enrolling 180 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.6% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the Minnesota average.
With 180 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 67 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Prairie Creek Community School spends $11,820 per pupil, 23% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Prairie Creek Community School is a single-school charter district, so Prairie Creek Community School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Prairie Creek Community School compares
Prairie Creek Community 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.6% | ▼ 78% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 180 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
180
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 36% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,820
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 86.1%
Two or More 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: White at 86.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.1, Prairie Creek Community School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prairie Creek Community School, which includes Prairie Creek Community School.
$11,820
Per student
-23%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.5%
State 87.2%
Federal 7.3%
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.
Similar elementary 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 (~180 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Creek Community School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Creek Community School against another school. Compare schools
- Prairie Creek Community School'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 Prairie Creek Community School
How many students attend Prairie Creek Community School?
Prairie Creek Community School has 180 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Northfield, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Creek Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Creek Community School is 12.9:1, which is 18% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 18% 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 Prairie Creek Community School?
9.6% of students at Prairie Creek Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Creek Community School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Creek Community School is White at 86.1% of enrollment, in Northfield, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Creek Community School?
Prairie Creek Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Prairie Creek Community School rank among elementary schools in Northfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Creek Community School ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Northfield, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Northfield on the city page.
Is Prairie Creek Community School a good school?
Prairie Creek Community School earns 56/100 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 Prairie Creek Community School?
None; Prairie Creek Community School is a single-school charter district, and Prairie Creek Community School is its only campus.
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.