Enrollment
231
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 274275001811
Willow River Elementary — Willow River, MN
Federal NCES profile for Willow River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 49
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Willow River Public School District · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-28% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Willow River Elementary reports 231 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Minnesota average and 35% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 231 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Willow River Public School District spends $16,000 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.1% from local sources (property taxes), 68.8% from the state, and 11.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Willow River Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.9% | ▼ 21% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 231 | top 46% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 24% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,000
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
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
Enrollment 231 Top 46% in Minnesota — larger than 54% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.9% -21% vs state
NCES ID 274275001811
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 231:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.3%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Willow River Public School District, which includes Willow River Elementary.
$16,000
Per student
-24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 205
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
Similar other schools in Willow River
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Willow River Elementary
How many students attend Willow River Elementary?
Willow River Elementary has 231 students enrolled. It is a other school in WILLOW RIVER, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Willow River Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 28% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in WILLOW RIVER, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Willow River Elementary?
Willow River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.