Enrollment
263
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cass Lake, MN
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary
Federal NCES profile for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270807000331
👥 S:T ratio 54
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of Minnesota schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Cass Lake · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 70.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary has class sizes smaller than 75% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cass Lake-Bena Secondary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Cass Lake, MN.
School address
District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 270807000331 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cass Lake-Bena Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Cass Lake, Minnesota, enrolling 263 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 70.3% of students qualify for free meals, 64% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 263 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 106 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #72.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.6% 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.
Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools also operates Cass Lake-Bena Elementary (450 students) and Cass Lake-Bena Middle School (312 students) alongside Cass Lake-Bena Secondary.
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 Secondary compares
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.3% | ▲ 64% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 263 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
263
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 25% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
42.6%
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 263 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
- 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 92.4%
White 6.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 92.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.2, Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools, which includes Cass Lake-Bena Secondary.
$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 Secondary 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 Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cass Lake-Bena Area Lrng. Cntr. | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cass Lake-Bena Secondary'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
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 94
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~263 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cass Lake-Bena Secondary's federal record.
- Compare Cass Lake-Bena Secondary 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 Secondary
How many students attend Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary has 263 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cass Lake, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is 11.4:1, which is 28% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 27% 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 Secondary?
70.3% of students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is American Indian / Alaska Native at 92.4% of enrollment, in Cass Lake, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Secondary rank among public schools in Cass Lake?
By Resource Investment Index, Cass Lake-Bena Secondary ranks #3 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 Secondary a good school?
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Secondary, Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools also operates Cass Lake-Bena Elementary (450 students), Cass Lake-Bena Middle School (312 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.