Enrollment
690
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 274416001836
Prairie Elementary — Worthington, MN
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
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: Worthington Public School District · 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Elementary 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 Elementary reports 690 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 61.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% above the Minnesota average and 18% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 394 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Worthington Public School District spends $21,857 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.4% from local sources (property taxes), 75.1% from the state, and 11.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Elementary 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 24% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.0% | ▲ 43% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 690 | top 87% | — | — |
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
61.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 28% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$21,857
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 394 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 690 Top 87% in Minnesota — larger than 13% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 61.0% +43% vs state
NCES ID 274416001836
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.9%
White 12.2%
Asian 8.3%
African American 6.1%
Two or More 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 394:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Worthington Public School District, which includes Prairie Elementary.
$21,857
Per student
+4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.4%
State 75.1%
Federal 11.5%
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
- 1,118
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 664
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 82
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 45:1
Similar other schools in Worthington
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Prairie Elementary
How many students attend Prairie Elementary?
Prairie Elementary has 690 students enrolled. It is a other school in WORTHINGTON, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elementary is 12.1:1, which is 24% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 24% 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 Elementary?
61.0% of students at Prairie Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 69.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in WORTHINGTON, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Elementary?
Prairie Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.