Pine River-Backus School District

401 Murray Ave
Pine River, MN 56474-0610
(District boundaries shown in map)
5/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2026 school year, there are 2 public high schools serving 428 students in Pine River-Backus School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 4/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in Minnesota.
Public High Schools in Pine River-Backus School District have an average math proficiency score of 28% (versus the Minnesota public high school average of 36%), and reading proficiency score of 42% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Pine River-Backus School District have a Graduation Rate of 80%, which is less than the Minnesota average of 83%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Pine River-backus High School, with 85-89% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in Minnesota or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 7% of the student body (majority Hispanic and Asian), which is less than the Minnesota public high school average of 38% (majority Hispanic and Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (MN)
# Schools
3 Schools
1,198 Schools
# Students
906 Students
313,741 Students
# Teachers
65 Teachers
18,841 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Pine River-Backus School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 515 school districts in Minnesota (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 87% has increased from 85-89% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (MN)
#309 out of 525 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
34%
46%
45%
51%
42%
41%
87%
84%
(2022-23)
25.1%
27.3%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.16
0.59
% American Indian
1%
2%
% Asian
1%
6%
% Hispanic
2%
12%
% Black
1%
12%
% White
91%
62%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
4%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $14,203 in this school district is less than the state median of $17,752. The school district revenue/student has grown by 7% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $13,873 is less than the state median of $18,474. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (MN)
Total Revenue
$13 MM
$15,547 MM
Spending
$13 MM
$16,179 MM
Revenue / Student
$14,203
$17,752
Spending / Student
$13,873
$18,474

Best Pine River-Backus School District Public High Schools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Pine River-backus Alp
Alternative School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50% )
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
1000 1st St N
Pine River, MN 56474
(218) 587-3131
Gr: 9-12 | 57 students Student-teacher ratio: 29:1 Minority enrollment: 7%
Rank: #22.
Pine River-backus High School
(Math: 25-29% | Reading: 40-44%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
810 1st St N
Pine River, MN 56474
(218) 587-4425
Gr: 7-12 | 371 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 7%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 3 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 906 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 9%
  • : 87% (Top 30% in MN)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 34% (Btm 50%)
  • : 45% (Btm 50%)
  • : 42% (Top 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), MN Dept. of Education

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