Enrollment
231
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Willow River, MN
Willow River Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Willow River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 274275001811
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Willow River Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 33.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 231
- students enrolled
Willow River Elementary has class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Willow River Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 274275001811 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Willow River Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Willow River Elementary
Willow River Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Willow River, Minnesota, enrolling 231 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 33.9% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 231 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 295 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #81.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 231 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, Willow River Public School District, also runs Willow River Secondary (205 students).
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 Willow River Elementary compares
Willow River 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.9% | ▼ 21% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 231 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
231
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 30% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.3%
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
$13,660
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 231 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.3 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 89.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.8%
Two or More 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.3, Willow River Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Willow River Public School District, which includes Willow River Elementary.
$13,660
Per student
-11%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.1%
State 68.8%
Federal 11.1%
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 Willow River Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow River Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Willow River Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 205
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~231 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Willow River Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Willow River Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Willow River 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 Willow River Elementary
How many students attend Willow River Elementary?
Willow River Elementary has 231 students enrolled. It is a public school in Willow River, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow River Elementary is 12.2:1, which is 23% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 22% 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 Willow River Elementary?
33.9% of students at Willow River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Willow River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Willow River Elementary is White at 89.6% of enrollment, in Willow River, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow River Elementary?
Willow River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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).
Is Willow River Elementary a good school?
Willow River Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Willow River Public School District?
Besides Willow River Elementary, Willow River Public School District also operates Willow River Secondary (205 students). See the Willow River 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.