Pine Point Elementary

Set in PONSFORD, Minnesota, Pine Point Elementary is a tiny K-5 school, operated by Pine Point Public School District. It instructs 46 students across grades pre-K through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 87% smaller than the state mean of about 344.

Operationally, Pine Point Elementary answers to Pine Point Public School District, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

In terms of who attends, Pine Point Elementary logs that the student body is overwhelmingly Native American (96%). The remainder comes out to 4% Hispanic.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Pine Point Elementary has 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 4.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Pine Point Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 93% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Becker County runs at roughly 41%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Pine Point Elementary ranks in the top 10% of Minnesota public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 14.8%; Pine Point Elementary posts 42.0%, +27.2 points above that line.

In the broader community, census data for Becker County shows the typical household earns roughly $71,388 per year, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Pine Point Elementary is one of 22 public schools in Becker County (combined enrollment of about 4,637 students).

Park Rapids Virtual Academy Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 15.6 miles from this campus. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Pine Point Elementary at 1st of 5; the average score across the group is 32.8%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Pine Point Elementary has fell 28%, going from 64 students in 2018 to 46 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment rose from 0% to 4% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 6.4:1 in 2018 to 4.2:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.