Enrollment
144
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Elbow Lake, MN
West Central Area N. El.
Federal NCES profile for West Central Area N. El., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270010400513
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Central Area N. El. earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Minnesota schools.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 37.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 144
- students enrolled
West Central Area N. El. has class sizes smaller than 86% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Central Area · Minnesota
NCES ID 270010400513 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Central Area N. El. compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Central Area N. El.
West Central Area N. El. is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 144 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.5:1, West Central Area N. El. is leaner than roughly 86% of Minnesota schools and 46% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.4% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 144 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 188 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #46.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
West Central Area also operates Wca Middle School (232 students) and West Central Area Secondary (229 students) alongside West Central Area N. El..
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 West Central Area N. El. compares
West Central Area N. El. on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 46% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.4% | ▼ 13% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 144 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
144
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 46% below state mean
Top 14% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.1%
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
$14,876
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 86.1%
Two or More 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
African American 2.8%
Largest group: White at 86.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.2, West Central Area N. El. is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Central Area, which includes West Central Area N. El..
$14,876
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 66.0%
Federal 11.4%
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 West Central Area N. El. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wca Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Central Area Secondary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Central Area S. El. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Central Area N. El.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- 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 (~144 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Central Area N. El.'s federal record.
- Compare West Central Area N. El. against another school. Compare schools
- West Central Area'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 West Central Area N. El.
How many students attend West Central Area N. El.?
West Central Area N. El. has 144 students enrolled. It is a public school in Elbow Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Central Area N. El.?
The student-teacher ratio at West Central Area N. El. is 8.5:1, which is 46% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 46% 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 West Central Area N. El.?
37.4% of students at West Central Area N. El. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Central Area N. El.?
The largest demographic group at West Central Area N. El. is White at 86.1% of enrollment, in Elbow Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Central Area N. El.?
West Central Area N. El. 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).
Is West Central Area N. El. a good school?
West Central Area N. El. earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 West Central Area?
Besides West Central Area N. El., West Central Area also operates Wca Middle School (232 students), West Central Area Secondary (229 students), and West Central Area S. El. (138 students). See the West Central Area 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.