Enrollment
148
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Solway, MN
Solway Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Solway Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270444000197
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Solway Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 43.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 148
- students enrolled
Solway Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Bemidji Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270444000197 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Solway Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Solway Elementary
Solway Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Solway, Minnesota, enrolling 148 students.
At 13.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.8% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 148 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 169 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #140, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students) and Bemidji Middle (967 students) alongside Solway 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 Solway Elementary compares
Solway 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.8% | ▲ 2% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 148 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
148
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 41% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.1%
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
$14,614
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
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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%
American Indian / Alaska Native 12.8%
Two or More 1.4%
African American 0.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Largest group: White at 84.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.9, Solway Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bemidji Public School District, which includes Solway Elementary.
$14,614
Per student
-4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 67.6%
Federal 13.8%
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 Solway Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bemidji Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gene Dillon Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Horace May Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Solway Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,537
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~148 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Solway Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Solway Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bemidji 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 Solway Elementary
How many students attend Solway Elementary?
Solway Elementary has 148 students enrolled. It is a public school in Solway, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Solway Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Solway Elementary is 13.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 14% 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 Solway Elementary?
43.8% of students at Solway Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Solway Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Solway Elementary is White at 84.5% of enrollment, in Solway, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Solway Elementary?
Solway Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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).
Is Solway Elementary a good school?
Solway Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Bemidji Public School District?
Besides Solway Elementary, Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students), Bemidji Middle (967 students), and Gene Dillon Elementary School (667 students). See the Bemidji 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.