Enrollment
312
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 270807003181
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School — Cass Lake, MN
Federal NCES profile for Cass Lake-Bena Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
The verdict
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School earns a D Resource Investment Index (42/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 42/100
- 10.2:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 76.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 312
- students enrolled
School address
District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cass Lake-Bena Middle School 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
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School reports 312 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% 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 15.7:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% above the Minnesota average and 47% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 312 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 57.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools spends $22,334 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $15,270 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 13.3% from local sources (property taxes), 52.2% from the state, and 34.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Cass Lake-Bena Middle School 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 36% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 78% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 312 | top 55% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
10 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 89% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
312 larger than 34% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
76.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% 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
10.2:1
students per teacher
— 36% below state mean
Top 18% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
57.4%
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
$22,334
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 312 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
226
in-school suspensions + 71 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 72.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 95.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 312 Top 55% in Minnesota — larger than 45% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 10.2:1 -36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.1% +78% vs state
NCES ID 270807003181
Student demographics
American Indian / Alaska Native 94.2%
White 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 94.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 312:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 57.4%
In-school suspensions 226
Out-of-school suspensions 71
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools, which includes Cass Lake-Bena Middle School.
$22,334
Per student
+46%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.3%
State 52.2%
Federal 34.6%
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
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
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.
Before you act on this record
Treat this page as the federal baseline — then verify locally.
- Compare Cass Lake-Bena Middle School side-by-side with another school you're considering on the same NCES measures. Compare schools
- Read the district context — spending per pupil, staffing, and equity ranking are district-level decisions that shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment windows, programs, and boundaries with the school directly — federal data lags the current school year. Choosing guide
Figures are the school's reported federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) — coverage varies by entity type, and PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.
Frequently asked questions about Cass Lake-Bena Middle School
How many students attend Cass Lake-Bena Middle School?
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School has 312 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cass Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is 10.2:1, which is 36% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 35% 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 Cass Lake-Bena Middle School?
76.1% of students at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cass Lake-Bena Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 94.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cass Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cass Lake-Bena Middle School?
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.
Is Cass Lake-Bena Middle School a good school?
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School earns a D Resource Investment Index (42/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.