Enrollment
256
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fosston, MN
Fosston Secondary
Federal NCES profile for Fosston Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271230000602
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fosston Secondary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- students per teacher
- 42.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 256
- students enrolled
Fosston Secondary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fosston Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271230000602 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fosston Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fosston Secondary
Fosston Secondary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fosston, Minnesota, enrolling 256 students.
At 15.1:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.1% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 256 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 262 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #178.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Fosston Public School District, also runs Magelssen Elementary (340 students).
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 Fosston Secondary compares
Fosston 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 | 15.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.1% | ▼ 2% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 256 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
256
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 55% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.9%
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
$14,761
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 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 81.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 10.9%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 81.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.5, Fosston Secondary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fosston Public School District, which includes Fosston Secondary.
$14,761
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.0%
State 64.8%
Federal 14.3%
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 Fosston Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magelssen Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fosston Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~256 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fosston Secondary's federal record.
- Compare Fosston Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- Fosston 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 Fosston Secondary
How many students attend Fosston Secondary?
Fosston Secondary has 256 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fosston, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fosston Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fosston Secondary is 15.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 4% 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 Fosston Secondary?
42.1% of students at Fosston Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fosston Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Fosston Secondary is White at 81.3% of enrollment, in Fosston, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fosston Secondary?
Fosston Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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).
Is Fosston Secondary a good school?
Fosston Secondary earns 35/100 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 Fosston Public School District?
Besides Fosston Secondary, Fosston Public School District also operates Magelssen Elementary (340 students). See the Fosston 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.