Enrollment
48
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bemidji, MN
First City School
Federal NCES profile for First City School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 68/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270444000313
👥 S:T ratio 79
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 95
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
First City School earns 68/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 10
- schools in Bemidji · Resource Index
- 68
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.3:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 93.3%
- free-lunch eligible
First City School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, First City School ranks #2 of 10 schools in Bemidji, MN.
School address
District: Bemidji Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270444000313 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-66% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+118% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How First City School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at First City School
First City School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bemidji, Minnesota, enrolling 48 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.3:1, First City School is leaner than roughly 94% of Minnesota schools and 66% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 93.3% of students qualify for free meals, 118% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 48 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 34 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (42%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Discipline events run high: 14 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 48 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students) and Bemidji Middle (967 students) alongside First City 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 First City School compares
First City 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 | 5.3:1 | ▼ 66% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 118% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 48 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.3:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
48
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 118% 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
5.3:1
students per teacher
- 66% below state mean
Top 6% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
2.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$14,614
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.2 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
White 41.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 41.7%
African American 10.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 41.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.9, First City School is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bemidji Public School District, which includes First City School.
$14,614
Per student
-4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 67.6%
Federal 13.8%
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 First City School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bemidji Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gene Dillon Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace May Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to First City School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,537
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
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 (~48 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on First City School's federal record.
- Compare First City School against another school. Compare schools
- Bemidji Public 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 First City School
How many students attend First City School?
First City School has 48 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Bemidji, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at First City School?
The student-teacher ratio at First City School is 5.3:1, which is 66% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 66% 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 First City School?
93.3% of students at First City School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of First City School?
The largest demographic group at First City School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 41.7% of enrollment, in Bemidji, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for First City School?
First City School has a Resource Investment Index of 68/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does First City School rank among schools in Bemidji?
By Resource Investment Index, First City School ranks #2 of 10 schools in Bemidji, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bemidji on the city page.
Is First City School a good school?
First City School earns 68/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. It is also more 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 Bemidji Public School District?
Besides First City School, Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students), Bemidji Middle (967 students), and Gene Dillon Elementary School (667 students). See the Bemidji Public 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.