Rice County Education: 7,889 students were enrolled in 2023-24 school year

Willie Jett Commissioner of Education Minnesota Department of Education | Office of Gov. Tim Walz

By SE Twin Cities

May 31, 2024

There were 7,889 students enrolled in Rice County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.1% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Minnesota Department of Education.

In terms of gender distribution, the student body in Rice County comprised 51.5% boys, with girls representing the remaining 48.5%.

Data also showed that white students made up 60.5% of the student body, the largest percentage in Rice County schools, followed by Hispanic students with 21.1%, 10.8% Black students, 4.2% multiracial students, 1.8% American Indian students, 1.6% Asian students and 0.1% Other Indigenous Peoples students.

Northfield Senior High had the highest enrollment among Rice County's 21 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 1,295 students.

Minnesota's educational system, the 10th largest in the United States, serves over 869,000 students across 2,709 institutions. As of 2024, the student-to-teacher ratio in the state’s public schools is 1:16, slightly worse than the national average of 1:15.

Meanwhile, data from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveals that Minnesota fourth and eighth graders performed mostly above the national average in math, their scores suggest a slight decline from previous years, particularly in reading.

Enrollment in Rice County Schools Over 3 Years

Breakdown of Student Enrollment in Rice County Schools

School name	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Northfield Senior High	1,246	1,295	3.9%
Faribault Senior High	981	961	-2%
Northfield Middle	846	850	0.5%
Faribault Middle	717	636	-11.3%
Bridgewater Elementary	527	563	6.8%
Greenvale Park Elementary	496	482	-2.8%
Spring Creek Elementary	462	462	0%
Lincoln Elementary	445	423	-4.9%
Roosevelt Elementary	425	418	-1.6%
Jefferson Elementary	458	395	-13.8%
Lonsdale Pre K-6	305	305	0%
Cannon River STEM School	220	234	6.4%
Northfield Area Learning Center	124	131	5.6%
Morristown Elementary	112	118	5.4%
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr.	122	113	-7.4%
Arcadia Charter School	115	100	-13%
Faribault Area Learning Center	120	99	-17.5%
Nerstrand Charter School	101	98	-3%
Northfield Community Education Center	88	92	4.5%
Surad Academy	--	66	--
Discovery Public School of Faribault	49	48	-2%