Enrollment
203
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Grand Marais, MN
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sawtooth Mountain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271311000658
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of Minnesota schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Grand Marais · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 42.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary has class sizes smaller than 72% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sawtooth Mountain Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Grand Marais, MN.
School address
District: Cook County Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 271311000658 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sawtooth Mountain Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Grand Marais, Minnesota, enrolling 203 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.7% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 203 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 230 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #201, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (13%) (diversity index 50/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Cook County Public Schools spends $18,747 per pupil, 23% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Cook County Public Schools also operates Cook County Senior High (177 students) and Cook County Middle (95 students) alongside Sawtooth Mountain 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 Sawtooth Mountain Elementary compares
Sawtooth Mountain 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 25% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.7% | ▼ 0% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 203 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
203
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 28% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.9%
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
$18,747
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 68.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 12.8%
Two or More 11.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Largest group: White at 68.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.6, Sawtooth Mountain Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cook County Public Schools, which includes Sawtooth Mountain Elementary.
$18,747
Per student
+23%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 57.2%
Federal 12.7%
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 Sawtooth Mountain Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cook County Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sawtooth Mountain Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 177
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 95
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~203 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sawtooth Mountain Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sawtooth Mountain Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cook County 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 Sawtooth Mountain Elementary
How many students attend Sawtooth Mountain Elementary?
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary has 203 students enrolled. It is a public school in Grand Marais, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary is 11.9:1, which is 25% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 24% 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 Sawtooth Mountain Elementary?
42.7% of students at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sawtooth Mountain Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary is White at 68.5% of enrollment, in Grand Marais, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sawtooth Mountain Elementary?
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Sawtooth Mountain Elementary rank among public schools in Grand Marais?
By Resource Investment Index, Sawtooth Mountain Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Grand Marais, 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 Grand Marais on the city page.
Is Sawtooth Mountain Elementary a good school?
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Cook County Public Schools?
Besides Sawtooth Mountain Elementary, Cook County Public Schools also operates Cook County Senior High (177 students) and Cook County Middle (95 students). See the Cook County 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.