Enrollment
312
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cass Lake, MN
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Cass Lake-Bena Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270807003181
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Cass Lake · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 76.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cass Lake, MN.
School address
District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 270807003181 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-34% 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
What stands out at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cass Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 312 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 76.1% of students qualify for free meals, 78% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 312 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 114 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 312 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools spends $22,334 per pupil, 46% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 34.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 297 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 312 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools also operates Cass Lake-Bena Elementary (450 students) and Cass Lake-Bena Secondary (263 students) alongside Cass Lake-Bena Middle School.
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 Cass Lake-Bena Middle School compares
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 34% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 78% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 312 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
312
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 20% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
57.4%
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
$22,334
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 11.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.1, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
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.
How Cass Lake-Bena Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Lake-Bena Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cass Lake-Bena Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cass Lake-Bena Area Lrng. Cntr. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cass Lake-Bena Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~312 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cass Lake-Bena Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Cass Lake-Bena Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools'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 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 an 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 10.4:1, which is 34% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 34% 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% of enrollment, 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 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cass Lake-Bena Middle School rank among public schools in Cass Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cass 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 Cass Lake on the city page.
Is Cass Lake-Bena Middle School a good school?
Cass Lake-Bena Middle School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools?
Besides Cass Lake-Bena Middle School, Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools also operates Cass Lake-Bena Elementary (450 students), Cass Lake-Bena Secondary (263 students), and Cass Lake-Bena Area Lrng. Cntr. (94 students). See the Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools 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.