Enrollment
1,805
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Brainerd, MN
Brainerd Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Brainerd Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270609000249
👥 S:T ratio 16
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Brainerd Senior High earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #9 of 9
- public schools in Brainerd · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 26.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Brainerd Senior High has class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Brainerd Senior High ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Brainerd, MN.
School address
District: Brainerd Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270609000249 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
86.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Brainerd Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Brainerd Senior High
Brainerd Senior High is a large high school in Brainerd, Minnesota, enrolling 1,805 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21:1 is larger than about 86% of Minnesota schools and 33% 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 26.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,805 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 74 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #73, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 602 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Brainerd Public School District also operates Forestview Middle (1,626 students) and Baxter Elementary (506 students) alongside Brainerd 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 Brainerd Senior High compares
Brainerd 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 | 21:1 | ▲ 33% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.7% | ▼ 38% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,805 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,805
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
21:1
students per teacher
- 33% above state mean
Top 86% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
47.5%
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
$14,387
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 602 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 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 89.3%
Two or More 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.9, Brainerd Senior High is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brainerd Public School District, which includes Brainerd Senior High.
$14,387
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 59.2%
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.
How Brainerd Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestview Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Baxter Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Riverside Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lowell Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Garfield Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Brainerd Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,626
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~1,805 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Brainerd Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Brainerd Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Brainerd 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 Brainerd Senior High
How many students attend Brainerd Senior High?
Brainerd Senior High has 1,805 students enrolled. It is a high school in Brainerd, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Brainerd Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Brainerd Senior High is 21:1, which is 33% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Brainerd Senior High?
26.7% of students at Brainerd Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Brainerd Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Brainerd Senior High is White at 89.3% of enrollment, in Brainerd, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Brainerd Senior High?
Brainerd Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Brainerd Senior High rank among public schools in Brainerd?
By Resource Investment Index, Brainerd Senior High ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Brainerd, 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 Brainerd on the city page.
Is Brainerd Senior High a good school?
Brainerd Senior High earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Brainerd Public School District?
Besides Brainerd Senior High, Brainerd Public School District also operates Forestview Middle (1,626 students), Baxter Elementary (506 students), and Riverside Elementary (407 students). See the Brainerd 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.