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C+

Pine River-Backus Public School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 24 towns

Serves Ideal Township, Pine River Township, Pine River, Powers Township, Wilson Township, Ponto Lake Township, Walden Township, Barclay Township, Fifty Lakes, Maple Township, Jenkins Township, Home Brook Township, Backus, Timothy Township, Bungo Township, McKinley Township, Bull Moose Township, Moose Lake Township, Chickamaw Beach, Deerfield Township, Blind Lake Township, Gail Lake Township, Ansel Township and Manhattan Beach, and parts of Crosslake, Woodrow Township and Meadow Brook Township.

Ideal Township’s School Grade B+ better than 68% of Minnesota school districts

Students
906
Schools
3
Spent per student
$14,258
MN $17,091
Students per teacher
14:1
Free or reduced lunch
62%
Debt
$5.9M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Pine River-Backus Public School District

  • Its letter, C+: results better than 37% of Minnesota districts
  • Math proficiency 14 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 6 pts below the state
  • Spends 17% less per student than the MN average
  • 14 students per teacher
  • Debt of $5.9M, about $6,538 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C+: better than 37% of the 502 Minnesota school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B+Ideal Township 1,291C+Pine River Township 1,240Pine River 911Powers Township 840Wilson Township 689Ponto Lake Township 614Walden Township 569Barclay Township 554Fifty Lakes 462Maple Township 433Jenkins Township 420Home Brook Township 282Backus 264Timothy Township 184Bungo Township 164McKinley Township 149Bull Moose Township 145Moose Lake Township 141Chickamaw Beach 123Deerfield Township 123Blind Lake Township 100Gail Lake Township 100Ansel Township 77Manhattan Beach 64

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Ideal Township. Grade by grade →

PK–62 schoolsPequot Lakes Public Schools
7–122 schoolsPequot Lakes Public Schools

Test scores vs. MN

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency31%
State average 44.8% · 418 students tested
Reading / language arts45%
State average 51.1% · 420 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)80–84%
State average 83.3% · 75 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$14,258 per student · 17% below MN
Spending
Classroom instruction 65%Support & administration 30%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 17%State 69%Federal 14%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
903’20
915’21
903’22
879’23
906’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 91%Two or more races 4%Hispanic 2%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Black <1%

Schools in the district

3 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Minnesota’s other public schools.

Pine River-Backus Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Pine River
C+
478 students13:1
Pine River-Backus High School
High · Grades 7–12 · Pine River
C
371 students14:1
Pine River-Backus ALP
High · Grades 9–12 · Pine River
C−
57 students24:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Pequot Lakes Public SchoolsBreezy Point, Jenkins, Loon Lake Township
$12,742per student
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School DistrictBadoura Township, Birch Lake Township, Hiram Township
$21,831per student
Northland Community SchoolsPine Lake Township, Trelipe Township, Wabedo Township
$23,677per student
Staples-Motley School DistrictByron Township, May Township, Poplar Township
$15,538per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Minnesota.