2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 270405000184

Belle Plaine Senior High — Belle Plaine, MN

Federal NCES profile for Belle Plaine Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.

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0/100100/10031/100
👥 Class size
0
📚 AP courses
10
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
67
📋 Attendance
48
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →

The verdict

Belle Plaine Senior High earns an F Resource Investment Index (31/100), with class sizes larger than 94% of Minnesota schools.

F
Resource Index · 31/100
27.8:1
large classes for Minnesota
15.9%
free-lunch eligible
475
students enrolled

School address

Belle Plaine, MN 56011
District: Belle Plaine Public School District · Minnesota

Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.

Enrollment

475

Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

17.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

27.8:1

vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg

+75% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

15.9%

vs 42.8% Minnesota avg

-63% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Belle Plaine Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median
0:135:127.8:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.

What this school's NCES data tells you

Belle Plaine Senior High reports 475 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 27.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 75% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 77% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.

Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% below the Minnesota average and 69% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 164 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

On the finance side, the surrounding Belle Plaine Public School District spends $11,603 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $15,270 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 26.8% from local sources (property taxes), 63.8% from the state, and 9.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Belle Plaine Senior High compares

Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.

Metric This school vs Minnesota Minnesota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 27.8:1 ▲ 75% 15.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 15.9% ▼ 63% 42.8% 51.8%
Enrollment 475 top 72% — —

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

Class size vs. every US school

Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)

28 smaller classes than 2% of 92,598 US schools

0–2: 295 US schools (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 597 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 1,033 US schools (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 1,939 US schools (2%). Below this entry. 8–10: 4,805 US schools (5%). Below this entry. 10–12: 11,082 US schools (12%). Below this entry. 12–14: 16,971 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 14–16: 18,959 US schools (20%). Below this entry. 16–18: 13,660 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 18–20: 8,300 US schools (9%). Below this entry. 20–22: 5,448 US schools (6%). Below this entry. 22–24: 4,007 US schools (4%). Below this entry. 24–26: 2,663 US schools (3%). Below this entry. 26–28: 1,131 US schools (1%). This entry sits in this band. 28–30: 504 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 30–32: 307 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 32–34: 189 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 34–36: 141 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 36–38: 93 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 38–40: 94 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 40–42: 59 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 42–44: 46 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 44–46: 56 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 46–48: 58 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 48–50: 34 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 50–52: 37 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 52–54: 30 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 54–56: 15 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 56–58: 25 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 58–60: 20 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 60 every US school, by class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

School size vs. every US school

Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')

475 larger than 58% of 95,891 US schools

0–150: 14,035 US schools (15%). Below this entry. 150–300: 16,928 US schools (18%). Below this entry. 300–450: 21,633 US schools (23%). Below this entry. 450–600: 17,006 US schools (18%). This entry sits in this band. 600–750: 10,042 US schools (10%). Above this entry. 750–900: 5,568 US schools (6%). Above this entry. 900–1,050: 3,006 US schools (3%). Above this entry. 1,050–1,200: 1,826 US schools (2%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,350: 1,220 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,350–1,500: 908 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,650: 692 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,650–1,800: 607 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,950: 502 US schools (1%). Above this entry. 1,950–2,100: 432 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,100–2,250: 346 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,250–2,400: 252 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,400–2,550: 203 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,550–2,700: 163 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,700–2,850: 115 US schools (0%). Above this entry. 2,850–3,000: 85 US schools (0%). Above this entry. This school 0 3,000 every US school, by enrollment, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

What the federal data reveals about equity at this school

Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.

Economic need
15.9%
free-lunch eligible — 63% 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
27.8:1
students per teacher — 75% above state mean
Top 94% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,603
per pupil, district-wide — below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.9 FTE
Per 164 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

Enrollment 475 Top 72% in Minnesota — larger than 28% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 27.8:1 +75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.9% -63% vs state
NCES ID 270405000184

Student demographics

White 85.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 1.9%
Asian 1.3%

Largest group: White at 85.7% of enrollment.

Programs & staff

AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 2.9
Students per counselor 164:1

Discipline & special education

Chronically absent 20.8%
In-school suspensions 24
Out-of-school suspensions 18

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belle Plaine Public School District, which includes Belle Plaine Senior High.

$11,603
Per student
-24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.8%
State 63.8%
Federal 9.4%

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.

Other Schools in This District

Belle Plaine Public School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Belle Plaine

1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Belle Plaine Transitions/Work Exper
Special-education school
10 students

Educator & family resources

In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.

Understanding NCES data

How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.

Choose a school district

Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.

How schools are funded

Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.

Chronic absenteeism

Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.

Magnet vs charter vs traditional

Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.

School discipline data

What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.

Frequently asked questions about Belle Plaine Senior High

How many students attend Belle Plaine Senior High?

Belle Plaine Senior High has 475 students enrolled. It is a high school in BELLE PLAINE, MN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Belle Plaine Senior High?

The student-teacher ratio at Belle Plaine Senior High is 27.8:1, which is 75% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 77% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belle Plaine Senior High?

15.9% of students at Belle Plaine Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belle Plaine Senior High?

The largest demographic group at Belle Plaine Senior High is White at 85.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BELLE PLAINE, MN.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Belle Plaine Senior High?

Belle Plaine Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.

Is Belle Plaine Senior High a good school?

Belle Plaine Senior High earns an F Resource Investment Index (31/100), with class sizes larger than 94% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type — administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — universe of U.S. public schools and districts. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — discipline, absenteeism, and AP-course participation. ocrdata.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey — per-pupil expenditure and revenue sources. nces.ed.gov/ccd/f33agency
  • USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. fns.usda.gov/nslp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS — demographic and socioeconomic context for school catchment areas. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • U.S. Department of Education ESSA Title I — federal Title I program participation. ed.gov