Enrollment
273
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Iron, MN
Cherry Secondary
Federal NCES profile for Cherry Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270000801514
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cherry Secondary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 30.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 273
- students enrolled
Cherry Secondary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Louis County School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270000801514 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cherry Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cherry Secondary
Cherry Secondary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Iron, Minnesota, enrolling 273 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Minnesota median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 273 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 312 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #301, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 28/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 546 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students) and Cherry Elementary (297 students) alongside Cherry 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 Cherry Secondary compares
Cherry 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 | 13.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.0% | ▼ 30% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 43% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
38.1%
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
$17,445
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 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 84.2%
Two or More 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.7, Cherry Secondary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis County School District, which includes Cherry Secondary.
$17,445
Per student
+14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 11.4%
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 Cherry Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cherry Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Ridge Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Woods Secondary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Woods Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cherry Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 303
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar other 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 (~273 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cherry Secondary's federal record.
- Compare Cherry Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- St. Louis County 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 Cherry Secondary
How many students attend Cherry Secondary?
Cherry Secondary has 273 students enrolled. It is a public school in Iron, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cherry Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cherry Secondary is 13.7:1, which is 13% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 13% 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 Cherry Secondary?
30.0% of students at Cherry Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cherry Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Cherry Secondary is White at 84.2% of enrollment, in Iron, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cherry Secondary?
Cherry Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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).
Is Cherry Secondary a good school?
Cherry Secondary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 St. Louis County School District?
Besides Cherry Secondary, St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students), Cherry Elementary (297 students), and South Ridge Secondary (258 students). See the St. Louis County 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.