Enrollment
300
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bemidji, MN
Horace May Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Horace May Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270444000193
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horace May Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Minnesota schools.
- #4 of 10
- schools in Bemidji · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 36.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Horace May Elementary has class sizes smaller than 71% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horace May Elementary ranks #4 of 10 schools in Bemidji, MN.
School address
District: Bemidji Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270444000193 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horace May Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horace May Elementary
Horace May Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Bemidji, Minnesota, enrolling 300 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.4% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 300 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 353 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #237.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (16%) (diversity index 39/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students) and Bemidji Middle (967 students) alongside Horace May 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 Horace May Elementary compares
Horace May 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 | 12:1 | ▼ 24% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 15% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
12:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 29% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.7%
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
$14,614
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
8
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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 76.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.0%
Two or More 6.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 76.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.8, Horace May Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bemidji Public School District, which includes Horace May Elementary.
$14,614
Per student
-4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 67.6%
Federal 13.8%
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 Horace May Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bemidji Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gene Dillon Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northern Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horace May Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,537
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horace May Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Horace May Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bemidji 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 Horace May Elementary
How many students attend Horace May Elementary?
Horace May Elementary has 300 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bemidji, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horace May Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Horace May Elementary is 12:1, which is 24% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 24% 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 Horace May Elementary?
36.4% of students at Horace May Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horace May Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Horace May Elementary is White at 76.3% of enrollment, in Bemidji, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horace May Elementary?
Horace May Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Horace May Elementary rank among schools in Bemidji?
By Resource Investment Index, Horace May Elementary ranks #4 of 10 schools in Bemidji, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Bemidji on the city page.
Is Horace May Elementary a good school?
Horace May Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Bemidji Public School District?
Besides Horace May Elementary, Bemidji Public School District also operates Bemidji Senior High (1,537 students), Bemidji Middle (967 students), and Gene Dillon Elementary School (667 students). See the Bemidji 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.