Enrollment
407
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Brainerd, MN
Riverside Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Riverside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270609000259
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Riverside Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Brainerd · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 54.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Riverside Elementary has class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Riverside Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Brainerd, MN.
School address
District: Brainerd Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270609000259 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riverside Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Riverside Elementary
Riverside Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Brainerd, Minnesota, enrolling 407 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 54.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 407 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 231 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #73.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Brainerd Public School District also operates Brainerd Senior High (1,805 students) and Forestview Middle (1,626 students) alongside Riverside 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 Riverside Elementary compares
Riverside 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 39% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.7% | ▲ 28% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 407 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
407
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 39% below state mean
Top 18% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$14,387
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
7
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 84.5%
Two or More 8.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
African American 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 84.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.7, Riverside Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brainerd Public School District, which includes Riverside Elementary.
$14,387
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 59.2%
Federal 11.8%
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 Riverside Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forestview Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baxter Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lowell Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Garfield Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Riverside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,805
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 1,626
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~407 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Riverside Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Riverside Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Brainerd 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 Riverside Elementary
How many students attend Riverside Elementary?
Riverside Elementary has 407 students enrolled. It is a public school in Brainerd, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riverside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Riverside Elementary is 9.7:1, which is 39% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 38% 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 Riverside Elementary?
54.7% of students at Riverside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riverside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Riverside Elementary is White at 84.5% of enrollment, in Brainerd, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riverside Elementary?
Riverside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical 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 Riverside Elementary rank among schools in Brainerd?
By Resource Investment Index, Riverside Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Brainerd, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Brainerd on the city page.
Is Riverside Elementary a good school?
Riverside Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% 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 Brainerd Public School District?
Besides Riverside Elementary, Brainerd Public School District also operates Brainerd Senior High (1,805 students), Forestview Middle (1,626 students), and Baxter Elementary (506 students). See the Brainerd 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.