Enrollment
578
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New London, MN
Prairie Woods Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Woods Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272340001141
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Woods Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in New London · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 26.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie Woods Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Woods Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in New London, MN.
School address
District: New London-Spicer School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272340001141 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Woods Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Woods Elementary
Prairie Woods Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in New London, Minnesota, enrolling 578 students.
At 15.2:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 578 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 482 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
New London-Spicer School District also operates New London-Spicer Middle (454 students) and New London-Spicer Sr. (448 students) alongside Prairie Woods 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 Prairie Woods Elementary compares
Prairie Woods 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.3% | ▼ 39% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 578 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
578
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 56% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.2%
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
$12,686
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 88.1%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.4, Prairie Woods Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New London-Spicer School District, which includes Prairie Woods Elementary.
$12,686
Per student
-17%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 66.0%
Federal 8.1%
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 Woods Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New London-Spicer Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New London-Spicer Sr. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prairie Meadows Learning Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| New London Alternative School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Woods Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- 4.3:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~578 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Woods Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Woods Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- New London-Spicer 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 Woods Elementary
How many students attend Prairie Woods Elementary?
Prairie Woods Elementary has 578 students enrolled. It is a public school in New London, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Woods Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Woods Elementary is 15.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 3% 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 Woods Elementary?
26.3% of students at Prairie Woods Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Woods Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Woods Elementary is White at 88.1% of enrollment, in New London, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Woods Elementary?
Prairie Woods Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Woods Elementary rank among public schools in New London?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie Woods Elementary ranks #1 of 4 public schools in New London, 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 New London on the city page.
Is Prairie Woods Elementary a good school?
Prairie Woods Elementary earns 53/100 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 New London-Spicer School District?
Besides Prairie Woods Elementary, New London-Spicer School District also operates New London-Spicer Middle (454 students), New London-Spicer Sr. (448 students), and Prairie Meadows Learning Center (26 students). See the New London-Spicer 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.