Enrollment
436
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Stewartville, MN
Bear Cave Intermediate School
Federal NCES profile for Bear Cave Intermediate School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 273816001652
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bear Cave Intermediate School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Stewartville · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 22.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Bear Cave Intermediate School has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Cave Intermediate School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Stewartville, MN.
School address
District: Stewartville Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 273816001652 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bear Cave Intermediate School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bear Cave Intermediate School
Bear Cave Intermediate School is a mid-sized elementary school in Stewartville, Minnesota, enrolling 436 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 436 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 420 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #153.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 436 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Stewartville Public School District spends $11,553 per pupil, 24% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Stewartville Public School District also operates Stewartville Senior High (608 students) and Stewartville Middle (480 students) alongside Bear Cave Intermediate School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bear Cave Intermediate School compares
Bear Cave Intermediate School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.0% | ▼ 49% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 436 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
436
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 47% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,553
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 436 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.2, Bear Cave Intermediate School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stewartville Public School District, which includes Bear Cave Intermediate School.
$11,553
Per student
-24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.8%
State 71.1%
Federal 8.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bear Cave Intermediate School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stewartville Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stewartville Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bonner Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central Education Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bear Cave Intermediate School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 6.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~436 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bear Cave Intermediate School's federal record.
- Compare Bear Cave Intermediate School against another school. Compare schools
- Stewartville Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bear Cave Intermediate School
How many students attend Bear Cave Intermediate School?
Bear Cave Intermediate School has 436 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Stewartville, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bear Cave Intermediate School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bear Cave Intermediate School is 14.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bear Cave Intermediate School?
22.0% of students at Bear Cave Intermediate School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bear Cave Intermediate School?
The largest demographic group at Bear Cave Intermediate School is White at 89.7% of enrollment, in Stewartville, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bear Cave Intermediate School?
Bear Cave Intermediate School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bear Cave Intermediate School rank among public schools in Stewartville?
By Resource Investment Index, Bear Cave Intermediate School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Stewartville, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Stewartville on the city page.
Is Bear Cave Intermediate School a good school?
Bear Cave Intermediate School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Stewartville Public School District?
Besides Bear Cave Intermediate School, Stewartville Public School District also operates Stewartville Senior High (608 students), Stewartville Middle (480 students), and Bonner Elementary (411 students). See the Stewartville Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.