Enrollment
578
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Perham, MN
Heart of the Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Heart of the Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272823001247
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heart of the Lake Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Perham · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 36.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Heart of the Lake Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heart of the Lake Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Perham, MN.
School address
District: Perham-Dent Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272823001247 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heart of the Lake Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heart of the Lake Elementary
Heart of the Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Perham, Minnesota, enrolling 578 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.7% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 578 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Among 404 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #323, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 578 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Perham-Dent Public School District also operates Perham Senior High (529 students) and Prairie Wind Middle (526 students) alongside Heart of the Lake Elementary.
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 Heart of the Lake Elementary compares
Heart of the Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▼ 17% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.7% | ▼ 14% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 578 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
578
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 38% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.9%
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
$13,394
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 578 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 78.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 78.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.9, Heart of the Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perham-Dent Public School District, which includes Heart of the Lake Elementary.
$13,394
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 60.6%
Federal 11.6%
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 Heart of the Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perham Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Prairie Wind Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Perham Area Learning Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heart of the Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 38
- Students per teacher
- 38:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~578 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heart of the Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Heart of the Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Perham-Dent 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 Heart of the Lake Elementary
How many students attend Heart of the Lake Elementary?
Heart of the Lake Elementary has 578 students enrolled. It is a public school in Perham, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heart of the Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heart of the Lake Elementary is 13.1:1, which is 17% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 17% 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 Heart of the Lake Elementary?
36.7% of students at Heart of the Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heart of the Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Heart of the Lake Elementary is White at 78.9% of enrollment, in Perham, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heart of the Lake Elementary?
Heart of the Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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).
How does Heart of the Lake Elementary rank among public schools in Perham?
By Resource Investment Index, Heart of the Lake Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Perham, 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 Perham on the city page.
Is Heart of the Lake Elementary a good school?
Heart of the Lake Elementary earns 27/100 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 Perham-Dent Public School District?
Besides Heart of the Lake Elementary, Perham-Dent Public School District also operates Perham Senior High (529 students), Prairie Wind Middle (526 students), and Perham Area Learning Center (38 students). See the Perham-Dent 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.