Enrollment
573
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Stillwater, MN
Rutherford Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 273819003004
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rutherford Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools.
- #4 of 6
- elementary schools in Stillwater · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.9:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 14.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Rutherford Elementary has class sizes larger than 74% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford Elementary ranks #4 of 6 elementary schools in Stillwater, MN.
School address
District: Stillwater Area Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 273819003004 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rutherford Elementary
Rutherford Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Stillwater, Minnesota, enrolling 573 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.4% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Minnesota average.
Enrollment of 573 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 345 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #89.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Stillwater Area Public Schools also operates Stillwater Area High School (2,658 students) and Oak-Land Middle School (946 students) alongside Rutherford 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 Rutherford Elementary compares
Rutherford 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 | 17.9:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.4% | ▼ 66% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 573 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.9:1
Leaner classes than 25% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
573
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 74% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.8%
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
$14,073
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
White 83.9%
Two or More 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
Asian 3.1%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.9, Rutherford Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stillwater Area Public Schools, which includes Rutherford Elementary.
$14,073
Per student
-8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.7%
State 56.3%
Federal 7.1%
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 Rutherford Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Area High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak-Land Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stillwater Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Elmo Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brookview Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rutherford Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,658
- Students per teacher
- 26.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 939
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 697
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary 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 (~573 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rutherford Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Rutherford Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Stillwater Area Public Schools'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 Rutherford Elementary
How many students attend Rutherford Elementary?
Rutherford Elementary has 573 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Stillwater, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Elementary is 17.9:1, which is 13% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford Elementary?
14.4% of students at Rutherford Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford Elementary is White at 83.9% of enrollment, in Stillwater, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford Elementary?
Rutherford Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Rutherford Elementary rank among elementary schools in Stillwater?
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford Elementary ranks #4 of 6 elementary schools in Stillwater, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Stillwater on the city page.
Is Rutherford Elementary a good school?
Rutherford Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Stillwater Area Public Schools?
Besides Rutherford Elementary, Stillwater Area Public Schools also operates Stillwater Area High School (2,658 students), Oak-Land Middle School (946 students), and Stillwater Middle School (939 students). See the Stillwater Area Public Schools 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.