Enrollment
24
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sauk Rapids, MN
Benton-Stearns Education District
Federal NCES profile for Benton-Stearns Education District, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270007102403
👥 S:T ratio 76
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Benton-Stearns Education District earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Sauk Rapids · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 73.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Benton-Stearns Education District has class sizes smaller than 92% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Benton-Stearns Education District ranks #1 of 3 schools in Sauk Rapids, MN.
School address
District: Benton-Stearns Education District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270007102403 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-62% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton-Stearns Education District compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Benton-Stearns Education District
Benton-Stearns Education District is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, enrolling 24 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6:1, Benton-Stearns Education District is leaner than roughly 92% of Minnesota schools and 62% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 73.7% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 24 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 65 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 36/100).
Its district draws 29.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 19 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 24 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Benton-Stearns Education District also operates Benton-Stearns Ed District Ec (99 students) and Benton Stearns Education District 1 (17 students) alongside Benton-Stearns Education District.
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 Benton-Stearns Education District compares
Benton-Stearns Education District on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6:1 | ▼ 62% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.7% | ▲ 72% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 24 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
24
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6:1
students per teacher
- 62% below state mean
Top 8% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 79.2 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 79.2%
African American 8.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 4.2%
Largest group: White at 79.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.7, Benton-Stearns Education District is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Benton-Stearns Education District Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton-Stearns Ed District Ec | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benton Stearns Education District 1 | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benton-Stearns Education - Asd | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grafton School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Benton-Stearns Education Pioneers | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Benton-Stearns Education District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 17
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- 6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 10
- Students per teacher
- 5:1
- Resource Index
- 80/100
- Enrollment
- 8
- Students per teacher
- 2.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other 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 (~24 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Benton-Stearns Education District's federal record.
- Compare Benton-Stearns Education District against another school. Compare schools
- Benton-Stearns Education 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 Benton-Stearns Education District
How many students attend Benton-Stearns Education District?
Benton-Stearns Education District has 24 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Sauk Rapids, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton-Stearns Education District?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton-Stearns Education District is 6:1, which is 62% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 62% 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 Benton-Stearns Education District?
73.7% of students at Benton-Stearns Education District are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton-Stearns Education District?
The largest demographic group at Benton-Stearns Education District is White at 79.2% of enrollment, in Sauk Rapids, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton-Stearns Education District?
Benton-Stearns Education District has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Benton-Stearns Education District rank among schools in Sauk Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Benton-Stearns Education District ranks #1 of 3 schools in Sauk Rapids, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sauk Rapids on the city page.
Is Benton-Stearns Education District a good school?
Benton-Stearns Education District earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Minnesota schools. 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 Benton-Stearns Education District?
Besides Benton-Stearns Education District, Benton-Stearns Education District also operates Benton-Stearns Ed District Ec (99 students), Benton Stearns Education District 1 (17 students), and Benton-Stearns Education - Asd (12 students). See the Benton-Stearns Education 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.