Enrollment
22
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Benson, MN
Heartland Girls Ranch
Federal NCES profile for Heartland Girls Ranch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270447004182
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heartland Girls Ranch earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Benson · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 87.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Heartland Girls Ranch has class sizes smaller than 77% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heartland Girls Ranch ranks #1 of 4 schools in Benson, MN.
School address
District: Benson Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270447004182 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
2.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.5%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+104% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heartland Girls Ranch compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heartland Girls Ranch
Heartland Girls Ranch is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Benson, Minnesota, enrolling 22 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 87.5% of students qualify for free meals, 104% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 22 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 30 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #14.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 55/100).
Benson Public School District also operates Northside Elementary (391 students) and Benson Secondary (334 students) alongside Heartland Girls Ranch.
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 Heartland Girls Ranch compares
Heartland Girls Ranch on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 30% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.5% | ▲ 104% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 22 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
22
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 104% 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
11:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 23% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$13,866
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 + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.1 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 63.6%
African American 13.6%
Two or More 13.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.5%
Largest group: White at 63.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.4, Heartland Girls Ranch is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benson Public School District, which includes Heartland Girls Ranch.
$13,866
Per student
-9%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 60.1%
Federal 11.8%
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 Heartland Girls Ranch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benson Secondary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benson Area Learning Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heartland Girls Ranch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- 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 (~22 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heartland Girls Ranch's federal record.
- Compare Heartland Girls Ranch against another school. Compare schools
- Benson 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 Heartland Girls Ranch
How many students attend Heartland Girls Ranch?
Heartland Girls Ranch has 22 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Benson, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heartland Girls Ranch?
The student-teacher ratio at Heartland Girls Ranch is 11:1, which is 30% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 30% 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 Heartland Girls Ranch?
87.5% of students at Heartland Girls Ranch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heartland Girls Ranch?
The largest demographic group at Heartland Girls Ranch is White at 63.6% of enrollment, in Benson, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heartland Girls Ranch?
Heartland Girls Ranch has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Heartland Girls Ranch rank among schools in Benson?
By Resource Investment Index, Heartland Girls Ranch ranks #1 of 4 schools in Benson, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Benson on the city page.
Is Heartland Girls Ranch a good school?
Heartland Girls Ranch earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of 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 Benson Public School District?
Besides Heartland Girls Ranch, Benson Public School District also operates Northside Elementary (391 students), Benson Secondary (334 students), and Benson Area Learning Center (13 students). See the Benson 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.