Enrollment
707
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Lino Lakes, MN
Blue Heron Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Blue Heron Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270810003172
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blue Heron Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #3 of 9
- public schools in Lino Lakes · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 22.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Blue Heron Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Heron Elementary ranks #3 of 9 public schools in Lino Lakes, MN.
School address
District: Centennial Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270810003172 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue Heron Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blue Heron Elementary
Blue Heron Elementary is a large elementary school in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, enrolling 707 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 707 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 410 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #80.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Asian (8%) (diversity index 45/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Centennial Public School District spends $12,270 per pupil, 20% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Centennial Public School District also operates Centennial High School (2,067 students) and Centennial Middle (1,595 students) alongside Blue Heron Elementary.
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 Blue Heron Elementary compares
Blue Heron Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 47% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 707 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
707
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 65% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$12,270
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 72.7%
Asian 8.1%
African American 7.8%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.2, Blue Heron Elementary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Centennial Public School District, which includes Blue Heron Elementary.
$12,270
Per student
-20%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 62.8%
Federal 6.9%
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 Blue Heron Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rice Lake Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centerville Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blue Heron Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,067
- Students per teacher
- 32.8:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 1,595
- Students per teacher
- 36.3:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 607
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary 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 (~707 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blue Heron Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Blue Heron Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Centennial 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 Blue Heron Elementary
How many students attend Blue Heron Elementary?
Blue Heron Elementary has 707 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Lino Lakes, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blue Heron Elementary?
22.5% of students at Blue Heron Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue Heron Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Blue Heron Elementary is White at 72.7% of enrollment, in Lino Lakes, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue Heron Elementary?
Blue Heron Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Blue Heron Elementary rank among public schools in Lino Lakes?
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Heron Elementary ranks #3 of 9 public schools in Lino Lakes, 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 Lino Lakes on the city page.
Is Blue Heron Elementary a good school?
Blue Heron Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Centennial Public School District?
Besides Blue Heron Elementary, Centennial Public School District also operates Centennial High School (2,067 students), Centennial Middle (1,595 students), and Rice Lake Elementary (687 students). See the Centennial 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.