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Ponemah Elementary

Q: Is Ponemah Elementary a good school?

Ponemah Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ponemah Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 136 students attended Ponemah Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ponemah Elementary?

Students at Ponemah Elementary are 96% American Indian, 2% Hispanic.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ponemah Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponemah Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Red Lake Secondary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

857^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Ponemah Elementary is a public elementary school located in Ponemah, Minnesota, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 115 students. The school is part of the Red Lake Public School District, which is ranked 441 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ponemah Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Minnesota, with proficiency rates in MCA-III Math and Reading assessments significantly lower than the state averages, often below 10% proficient across all grades. The school's performance is also lower than the Red Lake Public School District's average, which is already among the lowest in the state. However, Ponemah Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 6.3 to 7.2 students per teacher over the past few years, which is lower than the nearby Red Lake Elementary school.

While the low student-teacher ratio could be an asset, the school's performance suggests that simply having a low ratio is not enough to overcome the significant socioeconomic and demographic challenges faced by the school and the broader Red Lake Public School District. The high percentage of students from low-income families and the predominance of Native American students at Ponemah Elementary likely contribute to the school's academic challenges. In comparison, the Endazhi-Nitaawiging charter school, located about 11 miles from Ponemah Elementary, has slightly better academic outcomes despite also serving a high-needs student population.

136

Students ?

6.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,064

Per pupil spending ?

88.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

25039 Abinoojiin Dr
Ponemah, MN 56666-8888

(218) 554-7337

District: Red Lake Public School District

Students who attend Ponemah Elementary usually attend:

High:

Red Lake Secondary

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

96.3%

Hispanic:

2.2%

White:

0.7%

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Compare Ponemah Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — <1st percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (7% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Reading scores 40 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school7%

District avg7%

Minnesota avg47%

Elementary school

857^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

501^st of 519

Minnesota public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Red Lake Public School District

441^st of 446Red Lake Public School District among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	3.1	857 of 872	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	861 of 881	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.3	837 of 845	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.3	858 of 858	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.7	869 of 869	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.9	859 of 870	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	829 of 847	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.2	840 of 853	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.9	838 of 848	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	0.4	837 of 840	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.6	810 of 826	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	1.5	813 of 824	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.4	814 of 820	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.8	808 of 814	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.4	754 of 803	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.3	430 of 434	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.4	772 of 781	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.0	762 of 777	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.0	724 of 756	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	2.3	654 of 676	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	0.2	669 of 674	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	1.8	779 of 787	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.5	769 of 774	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	6.7	769 of 793	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	759 of 774	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	663 of 663	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	682 of 683	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	726 of 740	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.0	717 of 728	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	1.4	825 of 826	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.8	799 of 799	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	785 of 798	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.8	770 of 779	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	37 of 38	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	38 of 42	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	36 of 39	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	21 of 21	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	20 of 20	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	26 of 26	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	21 of 22	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	5.9	501 of 519	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	531 of 545	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.8	517 of 529	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.8	519 of 520	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	508 of 533	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.0	517 of 518	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.8	522 of 523	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.5	507 of 508	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.5	494 of 516	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.2	470 of 478	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.2	442 of 454	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.2	228 of 230	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.3	408 of 409	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.4	400 of 403	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	2.0	367 of 387	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	418 of 432	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	449 of 473	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	438 of 459	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.0	403 of 404	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	389 of 415	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.3	398 of 401	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	7.7	423 of 454	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.2	436 of 438	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	15.2	47 of 50	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	53 of 55	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	44 of 49	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	22 of 22	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	20 of 23	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.9	23 of 23	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	71.2	53 of 282	81.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)3rd percentile~ school

Native American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2019)1st percentile~ school

Male (2024)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2019)81st percentile+77 vs school

Male (2019)7th percentile~ school

Native American (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading9%-40 vs state

Math5%-40 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ponemah Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)							MCA-III Reading (2025)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Ponemah Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	25039 Abinoojiin Dr	Ponemah	56666	Beltrami County	Red Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 554-7337	136	19	6.9	88.2%	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	3.1	857^th of 872 public elementary schools	1.7%		3.3	861^st of 881 public elementary schools	2.3%	4	8.3	0.0		11.8	6.7	0.0	5.2	0.0	0.0		5.9	20.0	7.1	9.1	$26,064
Endazhi-Nitaawiging	Public, Charter	K-7	25065 Highway 1 W	Redlake	56671	Beltrami County	Endazhi-Nitaawiging	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 679-1060	113	5	20.5	78.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (97.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	2.8	861^st of 872 public elementary schools	1.3%		2.6	871^st of 881 public elementary schools	1.1%	10	0.0	0.0	7.7	0.0			1.8	6.7	8.3	14.3	20.0			10.3
Red Lake Elementary	Public	1-5	24900 Elementary Street	Redlake	56671	Beltrami County	Red Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 679-3329	526	42	12.5	81.4%	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	501 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	2.4	867^th of 872 public elementary schools	0.6%		2.3	875^th of 881 public elementary schools	0.7%	8	7.7	5.6	2.2				5.2	8.5	12.2	6.5				9.2	$22,794
Red Lake Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	24900 Elementary Street	Redlake	56671	Beltrami County	Red Lake Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 679-3329	137	13	10.5	71.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	1 (0.7%)	130 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)								(n/a)															$25,024

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponemah Elementary

Is Ponemah Elementary a good school?

Ponemah Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Ponemah Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponemah Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Red Lake Secondary

What district is Ponemah Elementary in?

Red Lake Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Ponemah Elementary?

Students at Ponemah Elementary are 96% American Indian, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Ponemah Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 136 students attended Ponemah Elementary.

Rate Ponemah Elementary!

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Schools in Ponemah, MN

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.