Enrollment
180
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270021203273 Charter school
Prairie Creek Community School — Northfield, MN
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Creek Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 90
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: Prairie Creek Community 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-21% 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
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
Prairie Creek Community School reports 180 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 9.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% below the Minnesota average and 81% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 3.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Prairie Creek Community School spends $14,500 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.5% from local sources (property taxes), 87.2% from the state, and 7.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Prairie Creek Community 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.6% | ▼ 78% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 180 | top 41% | — | — |
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
9.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 33% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
3.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,500
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
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
Enrollment 180 Top 41% in Minnesota — larger than 59% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 9.6% -78% vs state
NCES ID 270021203273
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 3.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prairie Creek Community School, which includes Prairie Creek Community School.
$14,500
Per student
-31%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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 in Northfield
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bridgewater Elementary
Standard public school
564 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Greenvale Park Elementary
Standard public school
488 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Spring Creek Elementary
Standard public school
445 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Northfield Portage Elementary
Standard public school
14 students 7:1 students per teacher
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 Prairie Creek Community School
How many students attend Prairie Creek Community School?
Prairie Creek Community School has 180 students enrolled. It is a 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 12.6:1, which is 21% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 21% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in NORTHFIELD, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Creek Community School?
Prairie Creek Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.