Enrollment
308
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Staples, MN
Staples-Motley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Staples-Motley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 273390001643
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Staples-Motley Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Staples · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 50.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Staples-Motley Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Staples-Motley Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Staples, MN.
School address
District: Staples-Motley School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 273390001643 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Staples-Motley Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Staples-Motley Elementary
Staples-Motley Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Staples, Minnesota, enrolling 308 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 50.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 308 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 233 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #78.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Staples-Motley School District also operates Staples-Motley Senior High (309 students) and Motley-Staples Middle School (284 students) alongside Staples-Motley 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 Staples-Motley Elementary compares
Staples-Motley 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.8% | ▲ 19% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 308 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
308
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 35% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$14,013
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
4
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 91.6%
Two or More 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
African American 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Largest group: White at 91.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.8, Staples-Motley Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Staples-Motley School District, which includes Staples-Motley Elementary.
$14,013
Per student
-8%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 65.8%
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 Staples-Motley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staples-Motley Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Motley-Staples Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Staples-Motley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 309
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~308 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Staples-Motley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Staples-Motley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Staples-Motley 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 Staples-Motley Elementary
How many students attend Staples-Motley Elementary?
Staples-Motley Elementary has 308 students enrolled. It is a public school in Staples, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Staples-Motley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Staples-Motley Elementary is 12.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 18% 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 Staples-Motley Elementary?
50.8% of students at Staples-Motley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Staples-Motley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Staples-Motley Elementary is White at 91.6% of enrollment, in Staples, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Staples-Motley Elementary?
Staples-Motley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Staples-Motley Elementary rank among public schools in Staples?
By Resource Investment Index, Staples-Motley Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Staples, 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 Staples on the city page.
Is Staples-Motley Elementary a good school?
Staples-Motley Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Staples-Motley School District?
Besides Staples-Motley Elementary, Staples-Motley School District also operates Staples-Motley Senior High (309 students) and Motley-Staples Middle School (284 students). See the Staples-Motley 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.