Enrollment
20
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rochester, MN
Prairiecare
Federal NCES profile for Prairiecare, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 273180004784
👥 S:T ratio 73
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairiecare earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 25
- schools in Rochester · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.7:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairiecare has class sizes smaller than 91% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairiecare ranks #1 of 25 schools in Rochester, MN.
School address
District: Rochester Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 273180004784 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-58% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairiecare compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairiecare
Prairiecare is a small combined-grade school in Rochester, Minnesota, enrolling 20 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.7:1, Prairiecare is leaner than roughly 91% of Minnesota schools and 58% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.9% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 20 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 52 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 48/100).
Rochester Public School District also operates Mayo Senior High (1,787 students) and Century Senior High (1,608 students) alongside Prairiecare.
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 Prairiecare compares
Prairiecare on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6.7:1 | ▼ 58% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▲ 0% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 20 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.7:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
20
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
6.7:1
students per teacher
- 58% below state mean
Top 9% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$14,165
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.
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 70.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.0%
Two or More 10.0%
African American 5.0%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.5, Prairiecare is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rochester Public School District, which includes Prairiecare.
$14,165
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.9%
State 63.1%
Federal 10.0%
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 Prairiecare Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Century Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Marshall Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dakota Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Adams Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairiecare's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,787
- Students per teacher
- 43.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,608
- Students per teacher
- 42.3:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,549
- Students per teacher
- 43:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 36.8:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 45.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~20 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairiecare's federal record.
- Compare Prairiecare against another school. Compare schools
- Rochester 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 Prairiecare
How many students attend Prairiecare?
Prairiecare has 20 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Rochester, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairiecare?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairiecare is 6.7:1, which is 58% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 57% 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 Prairiecare?
42.9% of students at Prairiecare are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairiecare?
The largest demographic group at Prairiecare is White at 70.0% of enrollment, in Rochester, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairiecare?
Prairiecare has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Prairiecare rank among schools in Rochester?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairiecare ranks #1 of 25 schools in Rochester, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Rochester on the city page.
Is Prairiecare a good school?
Prairiecare earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of 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 Rochester Public School District?
Besides Prairiecare, Rochester Public School District also operates Mayo Senior High (1,787 students), Century Senior High (1,608 students), and John Marshall Senior High (1,549 students). See the Rochester 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.