Enrollment
334
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270447000199
Benson Secondary — Benson, MN
Federal NCES profile for Benson Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 16/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 4
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: Benson 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benson Secondary 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
Benson Secondary reports 334 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Minnesota average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 668 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Benson Public School District spends $18,775 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.1% from local sources (property taxes), 60.1% from the state, and 11.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (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 Benson Secondary 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.3% | ▼ 20% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 334 | top 58% | — | — |
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
34.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 75% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.3%
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
$18,775
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 668 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 334 Top 58% in Minnesota — larger than 42% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.3% -20% vs state
NCES ID 270447000199
Student demographics
White 81.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.1%
African American 2.7%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 2.1%
Largest group: White at 81.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 668:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.3%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benson Public School District, which includes Benson Secondary.
$18,775
Per student
-11%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.8%
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
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 22
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
Similar other schools in Benson
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Benson Secondary
How many students attend Benson Secondary?
Benson Secondary has 334 students enrolled. It is a other school in BENSON, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benson Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Benson Secondary is 17.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benson Secondary?
34.3% of students at Benson Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benson Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Benson Secondary is White at 81.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENSON, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benson Secondary?
Benson Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (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.