Enrollment
967
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 270444002031
Bemidji Middle — Bemidji, MN
Federal NCES profile for Bemidji Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 22
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 →
School address
District: Bemidji 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.
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.2%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bemidji Middle compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
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
Bemidji Middle reports 967 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 61.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Minnesota average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 484 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bemidji Public School District spends $15,918 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.6% from local sources (property taxes), 67.6% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Bemidji Middle 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.2% | ▼ 11% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 967 | top 94% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
38.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 68% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.1%
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
$15,918
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 484 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 149 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 967 Top 94% in Minnesota — larger than 6% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 61.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.2% -11% vs state
NCES ID 270444002031
Student demographics
White 69.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 24.4%
Two or More 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 484:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.1%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 149
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bemidji Public School District, which includes Bemidji Middle.
$15,918
Per student
-25%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 67.6%
Federal 13.8%
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
- Enrollment
- 1,537
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
Similar middle schools in Bemidji
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Bemidji Middle
How many students attend Bemidji Middle?
Bemidji Middle has 967 students enrolled. It is a middle school in BEMIDJI, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bemidji Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Bemidji Middle is 16.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bemidji Middle?
38.2% of students at Bemidji Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bemidji Middle?
The largest demographic group at Bemidji Middle is White at 69.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in BEMIDJI, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bemidji Middle?
Bemidji Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 4 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.