Enrollment
137
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Okabena, MN
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary
Federal NCES profile for Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271393000017
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 17
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 44.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 137
- students enrolled
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Heron Lake-Okabena School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271393000017 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-4% 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
What stands out at Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Okabena, Minnesota, enrolling 137 students.
At 15.2:1, 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 44.1% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 137 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 2,334 Minnesota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 165 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #157, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 548 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 34 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 137 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Heron Lake-Okabena School District, also runs Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary (123 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 Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary compares
Heron Lake-Okabena 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▲ 3% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 137 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
137
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 56% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.9%
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
$14,855
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 47.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.5, Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Heron Lake-Okabena School District, which includes Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary.
$14,855
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 123
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
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 (~137 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary's federal record.
- Compare Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- Heron Lake-Okabena 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 Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary
How many students attend Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary has 137 students enrolled. It is a public 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 15.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 3% 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 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% of enrollment, in Okabena, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary?
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (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).
Is Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary a good school?
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary earns 17/100 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 Heron Lake-Okabena School District?
Besides Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary, Heron Lake-Okabena School District also operates Heron Lake-Okabena Elementary (123 students). See the Heron Lake-Okabena 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.