Enrollment
249
Elementary
DISTRICT 295 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270609000257
NISSWA ELEMENTARY
5533 LAKERS LANE, NISSWA, MN 56468 · (218) 961-6860 · Crow Wing County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL249 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.8:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
27%
68 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
55.3%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
72.8%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 73 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
61.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.4%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 62% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
249
-55 (-18%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 15.1:1
% White
94%
was 96%
% Hispanic
2%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About NISSWA ELEMENTARY
NISSWA ELEMENTARY, a low-enrollment primary school in NISSWA, Minnesota, run under BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, hosts 249 students, covering grades pre-K through 4. By comparison, Minnesota's public schools average about 344 students each, so NISSWA ELEMENTARY sits 28% smaller than that benchmark.
Across the 13 schools in BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT (6,079 students total), NISSWA ELEMENTARY accounts for its share of the district's footprint.
Looking at the student body, NISSWA ELEMENTARY lists that nearly all students (94%) are White. Other groups include 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Crow Wing County as a whole.
Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 27% of students at NISSWA ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Crow Wing County (around 40%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.
After controlling for student poverty, NISSWA ELEMENTARY performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 50.4%, the actual is 61.7%, a residual of +11.3 points.
Around the school, the surrounding county (Crow Wing County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $72,589 per year, 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. NISSWA ELEMENTARY is one of 24 public schools in Crow Wing County (combined enrollment of about 9,399 students).
Nearest neighbor: EAGLE VIEW ELEMENTARY, around 5.6 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 3 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. On composite proficiency, NISSWA ELEMENTARY comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 48.2%.
NISSWA ELEMENTARY operates from a countryside location.
Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at NISSWA ELEMENTARY has fell 18%, going from 304 students in 2018 to 249 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 13.8:1 in 2025.
On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.
Crow Wing County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
67,686
Census ACS
Median income
$72,589
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
24
9,399 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- BRAINERD SENIOR HIGHHigh · 1,805 students
- FORESTVIEW MIDDLEMiddle · 1,626 students
- BAXTER ELEMENTARYElementary · 506 students
- RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 407 students
- LOWELL ELEMENTARYElementary · 355 students
- GARFIELD ELEMENTARYElementary · 250 students
Nearby schools
- EAGLE VIEW ELEMENTARY5.6 mi · 557
- PEQUOT LAKES SENIOR HIGH5.7 mi · 599
- PEQUOT LAKES MIDDLE5.7 mi · 581
- Discovery Woods11.7 mi · 101
- LOWELL ELEMENTARY11.7 mi · 355
- GARFIELD ELEMENTARY11.7 mi · 250
Frequently asked questions
About NISSWA ELEMENTARYHow many students attend NISSWA ELEMENTARY?
NISSWA ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 249 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does NISSWA ELEMENTARY serve?
NISSWA ELEMENTARY serves grades PK-04.
How many teachers does NISSWA ELEMENTARY have?
NISSWA ELEMENTARY employs 18 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at NISSWA ELEMENTARY?
At NISSWA ELEMENTARY, the student body is approximately 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 0% Black, 4% Two or more.
What district is NISSWA ELEMENTARY in?
NISSWA ELEMENTARY is part of BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.