1
If you had an hour of school board time for Banfield Elementary, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
574
Elementary
DISTRICT 410 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AUSTIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270345000149
Banfield Elementary
301 17TH ST SW, AUSTIN, MN 55912 · (507) 460-1200 · Mower County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL574 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
61%
351 students
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 120 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 111 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 117 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 115 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 111 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (120) is 8% larger than its 4th grade class (111).
Student demographics
74%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Austin Public School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
23.6%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
36.4%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 24 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
27.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.2%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Banfield Elementary
Banfield Elementary's state test result (27.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banfield Elementary this school | 574 | 61.1% | 27.8% |
| Southview Elementary MARSHALL | 524 | 58.6% | 44.3% |
| PARK SIDE ELEMENTARY MARSHALL | 407 | 60.7% | N/A |
| Southgate Elementary AUSTIN | 539 | 55.7% | 37.2% |
| Hawthorne Elementary ALBERT LEA | 400 | 63.0% | 26.6% |
| Park Terrace Elementary SPRING LAKE PARK | 532 | 67.3% | 21.8% |
Matched among Minnesota elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Banfield Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Mower County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.8% | #692 of 844 | #7 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.4% | #623 of 844 | #6 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.6% | #756 of 844 | #7 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 574 | #191 of 1,130 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #482 of 769 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 73.8% | #54 of 796 | #1 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 61.1% | #214 of 942 | #5 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +29.6% | #34 of 244 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
574
+139 (+32%) vs 2020
+41% since 1990-91, when it was 406
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 14.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 574 | 39.5 | 14.5:1 | 61% (351) |
| 2023-24 | 478 | 36.5 | 13.1:1 | 67% (319) |
| 2022-23 | 461 | 36 | 12.8:1 | 66% (303) |
| 2020-21 | 435 | 31 | 14.0:1 | 46% (199) |
| 2017-18 | 443 | 33.8 | 13.1:1 | 56% (250) |
| 2015-16 | 461 | 33 | 14.0:1 | 54% (250) |
| 2010-11 | 563 | 37 | 15.2:1 | 46% (258) |
| 2000-01 | 509 | 29 | 17.6:1 | 32% (164) |
| 1990-91 | 406 | 21 | 19.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Banfield Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 30% (443 to 574); teachers up 17% (33.8 to 39.5).
About Banfield Elementary
Banfield Elementary is a public elementary school run by Austin Public School District in AUSTIN, Minnesota. The school enrolls 574 students, from pre-K through 4. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Minnesota is about 344, so this school runs 67% bigger than that.
Austin Public School District serves 5,751 students across 13 schools.
Federal enrollment data show White students as the largest group at Banfield Elementary, at 39%. Other reported shares: 26% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 9% Black, and 4% Pacific Islander. Mower County's residents are about 75% White, 36 points above the school's share. Pick two students at random and there is a 74% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 14.5:1, with 39.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is higher than the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Minnesota. Lunch subsidy eligibility at Banfield Elementary is 61%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Banfield Elementary would score about 32.2%. It scores 27.8%, 4.4 points below that figure.
Across Mower County, the median household income is $73,074, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 24% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Mower County is home to 34 public schools and about 7,434 public school students.
The closest other public school is Oakland Education Center, about 0.4 miles away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. In a group of 4 nearby schools with scores, Banfield Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Town: Distant.
Enrollment at Banfield Elementary grew 32% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 435 to 574 students.
Discussions about Banfield Elementary may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Mower County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
40,343
Census ACS
Median income
$73,074
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
34
7,434 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Austin Public School District
- Austin Senior HighHigh · 1,485 students
- Ellis MiddleMiddle · 726 students
- I.J. Holton Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 712 students
- Southgate ElementaryElementary · 539 students
- Sumner ElementaryElementary · 387 students
- Neveln ElementaryElementary · 381 students
Other schools in AUSTIN
- Austin Senior HighHigh · 1,485 students
- Ellis MiddleMiddle · 726 students
- I.J. Holton Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 712 students
- Southgate ElementaryElementary · 539 students
- Sumner ElementaryElementary · 387 students
- Neveln ElementaryElementary · 381 students
Nearby schools
- Oakland Education Center0.4 mi · 40
- Sumner Elementary0.8 mi · 387
- Austin Senior High0.9 mi · 1,485
- Austin Area Learning Center0.9 mi · 172
- Austin Online Academy0.9 mi · 111
- Southgate Elementary1.2 mi · 539
Frequently asked questions
About Banfield ElementaryHow many students attend Banfield Elementary?
Banfield Elementary enrolls approximately 574 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does Banfield Elementary serve?
Banfield Elementary serves grades PK-04.
How many students per teacher at Banfield Elementary?
Approximately 14.5:1 students per teacher at Banfield Elementary.
How diverse is Banfield Elementary?
Banfield Elementary reports a student body of 39% White, 26% Hispanic, 9% Black, 18% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Banfield Elementary?
Banfield Elementary is overseen by Austin Public School District in Mower County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.