Blue Earth Area School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Blue Earth, Minnesota - 4 schools

An equity score of 37/100 ranks Blue Earth Area School District #291 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $12,092 per pupil, Blue Earth Area School District ranks #420 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,066
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,092
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Blue Earth Area School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,066 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Faribault County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,092 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.7% local, 63.5% state, and 13.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 37/100, ranked #291 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 378:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 65.7% White, 28.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Blue Earth Area Early Childhood Spe, with a diversity index of 59.4/100.

Its largest campus is Blue Earth Area Elementary, enrolling 515 students (48% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Blue Earth Area Early Childhood Spe, at 8 students, a 64x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Blue Earth Area Elementary accounts for 48.3% of all Blue Earth Area School District student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Blue Earth Area School District a distant remainder — means Blue Earth Area School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Blue Earth Area School District school enrollment varies 64× across entities

Blue Earth Area School District school enrollment ranges from 8 students (lowest) to 515 students (highest), a spread of 507 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Blue Earth Area School District student-counselor ratio is 378:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Blue Earth Area School District chronic absenteeism rate is 27.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Blue Earth Area School District is typically wider than the Blue Earth Area School District-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

13.8%
Federal
63.5%
State
22.7%
Local

Funding Equity

37
Equity Score
291 / 410
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Blue Earth Area School District.

White 65.7%
Hispanic or Latino 28.5%
African American 3.5%
Multiracial 2.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 44.0/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Blue Earth Area School District's schools, about the same as the Minnesota average of 42.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Blue Earth Area Early Childhood Spe 59.4
  2. 2 Blue Earth Area Elementary 41.6
  3. 3 Blue Earth Area Middle 39.3
  4. 4 Blue Earth Area Secondary 35.6

Programs & Resources

378:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
27.8%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Blue Earth Area School District

School Enrollment
Blue Earth Area Elementary
515
Blue Earth Area Secondary
378
Blue Earth Area Middle
163
Blue Earth Area Early Childhood Spe
8

How Blue Earth Area School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Warroad Public School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Greenway Public School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Cannon Falls Public School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Sibley East School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Higher Ground Academy Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Blue Earth Area School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Minnesota

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Blue Earth Area School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Anoka-Hennepin School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Blue Earth Area School District?

Blue Earth Area School District has 4 schools, including 3 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,066 students.

How much does Blue Earth Area School District spend per student?

Blue Earth Area School District spends $12,092 per student. The district has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #291 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Blue Earth Area School District?

Blue Earth Area School District students are 65.7% White, 28.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.5% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Blue Earth Area School District?

Blue Earth Area School District has an equity score of 37/100, ranking #291 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.