Enrollment
495
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cloquet, MN
Washington Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Washington Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270942000384
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Washington Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #6 of 6
- schools in Cloquet · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 40.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Washington Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Washington Elementary ranks #6 of 6 schools in Cloquet, MN.
School address
District: Cloquet Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270942000384 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Washington Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Washington Elementary
Washington Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cloquet, Minnesota, enrolling 495 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.0% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 495 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 389 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #309, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 495 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Cloquet Public School District also operates Cloquet Senior (761 students) and Cloquet Middle (752 students) alongside Washington 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 Washington Elementary compares
Washington 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 20% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.0% | ▼ 7% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 495 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
495
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 34% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.7%
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
$13,964
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 495 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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 65.7%
Two or More 16.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 14.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 65.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.0, Washington Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cloquet Public School District, which includes Washington Elementary.
$13,964
Per student
-9%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 67.0%
Federal 10.6%
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 Washington Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloquet Senior | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cloquet Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Churchill Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cloquet Early Childhood Education | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Cloquet Area Alt. Ed. Programs | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Washington Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 752
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 351
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 83
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 74
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~495 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Washington Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Washington Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cloquet 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 Washington Elementary
How many students attend Washington Elementary?
Washington Elementary has 495 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cloquet, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Washington Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 20% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 19% 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 Washington Elementary?
40.0% of students at Washington Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Washington Elementary is White at 65.7% of enrollment, in Cloquet, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington Elementary?
Washington Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Washington Elementary rank among schools in Cloquet?
By Resource Investment Index, Washington Elementary ranks #6 of 6 schools in Cloquet, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cloquet on the city page.
Is Washington Elementary a good school?
Washington Elementary earns 28/100 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 Cloquet Public School District?
Besides Washington Elementary, Cloquet Public School District also operates Cloquet Senior (761 students), Cloquet Middle (752 students), and Churchill Elementary (351 students). See the Cloquet 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.