Enrollment
509
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 273180003077
Riverside Central Elementary — Rochester, MN
Federal NCES profile for Riverside Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
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: Rochester 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riverside Central 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
Riverside Central Elementary reports 509 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 70.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% above the Minnesota average and 36% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 255 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rochester Public School District spends $22,548 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.9% from local sources (property taxes), 63.1% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Riverside Central 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 27% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.7% | ▲ 65% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 75% | — | — |
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
70.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 25% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
51.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,548
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 255 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 509 Top 75% in Minnesota — larger than 25% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 70.7% +65% vs state
NCES ID 273180003077
Student demographics
White 33.8%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
African American 15.3%
Two or More 11.4%
Asian 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: White at 33.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 255:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.7%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rochester Public School District, which includes Riverside Central Elementary.
$22,548
Per student
+7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,787
- Students per teacher
- 45.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,608
- Students per teacher
- 44.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,549
- Students per teacher
- 43.7:1
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 38.7:1
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 38.5:1
Similar other schools in Rochester
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mayo Senior High
Standard public school
1,787 students 45.4:1 students per teacher
Century Senior High
Standard public school
1,608 students 44.7:1 students per teacher
John Marshall Senior High
Standard public school
1,549 students 43.7:1 students per teacher
Gibbs Elementary
Standard public school
675 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
600 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Bamber Valley Elementary
Standard public school
599 students 17.6:1 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 Riverside Central Elementary
How many students attend Riverside Central Elementary?
Riverside Central Elementary has 509 students enrolled. It is a other school in ROCHESTER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riverside Central Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Riverside Central Elementary is 11.6:1, which is 27% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 27% 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 Riverside Central Elementary?
70.7% of students at Riverside Central Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riverside Central Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Riverside Central Elementary is White at 33.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in ROCHESTER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riverside Central Elementary?
Riverside Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.