Enrollment
137
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 271393000017
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary — Okabena, MN
Federal NCES profile for Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Heron Lake-Okabena School District · Minnesota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary reports 137 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% above the Minnesota average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 548 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Heron Lake-Okabena School District spends $17,991 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.2% from local sources (property taxes), 64.3% from the state, and 9.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.9:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▲ 3% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 137 | top 36% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
44.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 76% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,991
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 548 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 137 Top 36% in Minnesota — larger than 64% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.1% +3% vs state
NCES ID 271393000017
Student demographics
White 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 16.8%
Two or More 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
African American 2.2%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 548:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.9%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Heron Lake-Okabena School District, which includes Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary.
$17,991
Per student
-15%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.2%
State 64.3%
Federal 9.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 123
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary
How many students attend Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary has 137 students enrolled. It is a other school in OKABENA, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary is 17.9:1, which is 13% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
44.1% of students at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary is White at 70.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in OKABENA, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.