Enrollment
186
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270002300288
Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary — Buffalo Lake, MN
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 38
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: Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart · 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)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.2%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary 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
Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary reports 186 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 16.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% above the Minnesota average and 1% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 186 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart spends $16,588 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.4% from local sources (property taxes), 66.3% from the state, and 10.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.2% | ▲ 20% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 186 | top 42% | — | — |
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
51.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 33% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$16,588
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 186 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 186 Top 42% in Minnesota — larger than 58% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 16.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.2% +20% vs state
NCES ID 270002300288
Student demographics
White 76.9%
Hispanic or Latino 16.1%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 76.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 186:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, which includes Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary.
$16,588
Per student
-21%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 66.3%
Federal 10.3%
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
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
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 Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary
How many students attend Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary?
Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary has 186 students enrolled. It is a other school in BUFFALO LAKE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary is 12.6:1, which is 21% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary?
51.2% of students at Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary is White at 76.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in BUFFALO LAKE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary?
Buffalo Lake-Hector Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) 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.