Enrollment
19
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Willmar, MN
Prairie Lakes Education Center
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Lakes Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 274272004673
👥 S:T ratio 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Lakes Education Center earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 9
- schools in Willmar · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.4:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 91.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Lakes Education Center has class sizes smaller than 99% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Lakes Education Center ranks #1 of 9 schools in Willmar, MN.
School address
District: Willmar Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274272004673 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-85% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+114% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Lakes Education Center compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Lakes Education Center
Prairie Lakes Education Center is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Willmar, Minnesota, enrolling 19 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.4:1, Prairie Lakes Education Center is leaner than roughly 99% of Minnesota schools and 85% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 91.7% of students qualify for free meals, 114% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 19 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 18 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #4.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (42%) and White (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 72/100).
Willmar Public School District also operates Willmar Senior High (1,205 students) and Willmar Middle School (842 students) alongside Prairie Lakes Education Center.
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 Lakes Education Center compares
Prairie Lakes Education Center on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 2.4:1 | ▼ 85% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.7% | ▲ 114% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 19 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.4:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
19
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 114% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
2.4:1
students per teacher
- 85% below state mean
Top 1% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,812
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
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
Hispanic or Latino 42.1%
White 26.3%
African American 15.8%
Two or More 10.5%
Asian 5.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.5, Prairie Lakes Education Center is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Willmar Public School District, which includes Prairie Lakes Education Center.
$14,812
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.4%
State 72.1%
Federal 12.4%
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 Prairie Lakes Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willmar Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willmar Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kennedy Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lakeland Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Lakes Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,205
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 842
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 623
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~19 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~2.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Lakes Education Center's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Lakes Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- Willmar Public 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 Prairie Lakes Education Center
How many students attend Prairie Lakes Education Center?
Prairie Lakes Education Center has 19 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Willmar, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Lakes Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Lakes Education Center is 2.4:1, which is 85% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 85% 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 Lakes Education Center?
91.7% of students at Prairie Lakes Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Lakes Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Lakes Education Center is Hispanic or Latino at 42.1% of enrollment, in Willmar, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Lakes Education Center?
Prairie Lakes Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Prairie Lakes Education Center rank among schools in Willmar?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Lakes Education Center ranks #1 of 9 schools in Willmar, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Willmar on the city page.
Is Prairie Lakes Education Center a good school?
Prairie Lakes Education Center earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools. 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 Willmar Public School District?
Besides Prairie Lakes Education Center, Willmar Public School District also operates Willmar Senior High (1,205 students), Willmar Middle School (842 students), and Kennedy Elementary (672 students). See the Willmar Public 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.