Enrollment
902
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Big Lake, MN
Big Lake Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Big Lake Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270546000206
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Lake Senior High earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Minnesota schools.
- #6 of 7
- public schools in Big Lake · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 30.1:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 22.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Big Lake Senior High has class sizes larger than 95% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Lake Senior High ranks #6 of 7 public schools in Big Lake, MN.
School address
District: Big Lake Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270546000206 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+91% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Lake Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Lake Senior High
Big Lake Senior High is a large high school in Big Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 902 students.
Class loads run heavy: 30.1:1 is larger than about 95% of Minnesota schools and 91% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 93% of state schools at 902 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 293 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #282, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (9%) (diversity index 41/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 451 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Big Lake Public School District also operates Independence Elementary (758 students) and Liberty Elementary (756 students) alongside Big Lake Senior High.
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 Big Lake Senior High compares
Big Lake Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 30.1:1 | ▲ 91% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.1% | ▼ 48% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 902 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
30.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
902
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
30.1:1
students per teacher
- 91% above state mean
Top 95% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$12,520
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 451 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 75.8%
Hispanic or Latino 8.5%
African American 6.5%
Two or More 6.0%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 75.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.0, Big Lake Senior High is about as mixed as the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Big Lake Public School District, which includes Big Lake Senior High.
$12,520
Per student
-18%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 64.0%
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 Big Lake Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Big Lake Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Big Lake Online 6-12 | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Big Lake Online K-5 | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Big Lake Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high 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 (~902 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Lake Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Big Lake Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Big Lake 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 Big Lake Senior High
How many students attend Big Lake Senior High?
Big Lake Senior High has 902 students enrolled. It is a high school in Big Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Lake Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Lake Senior High is 30.1:1, which is 91% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 92% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Big Lake Senior High?
22.1% of students at Big Lake Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Lake Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Big Lake Senior High is White at 75.8% of enrollment, in Big Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Lake Senior High?
Big Lake Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Big Lake Senior High rank among public schools in Big Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Lake Senior High ranks #6 of 7 public schools in Big Lake, 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 Big Lake on the city page.
Is Big Lake Senior High a good school?
Big Lake Senior High earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Big Lake Public School District?
Besides Big Lake Senior High, Big Lake Public School District also operates Independence Elementary (758 students), Liberty Elementary (756 students), and Big Lake Middle School (632 students). See the Big Lake 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.