Enrollment
222
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lester Prairie, MN
Lester Prairie Secondary
Federal NCES profile for Lester Prairie Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270264000049
👥 S:T ratio 1
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lester Prairie Secondary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Minnesota schools.
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.7:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 23.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 222
- students enrolled
Lester Prairie Secondary has class sizes larger than 92% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lester Prairie Public School Dist. · Minnesota
NCES ID 270264000049 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+56% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lester Prairie Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lester Prairie Secondary
Lester Prairie Secondary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lester Prairie, Minnesota, enrolling 222 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.7:1 is larger than about 92% of Minnesota schools and 56% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 222 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.
Among 214 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #186, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 222 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Lester Prairie Public School Dist. spends $11,862 per pupil, 22% below the Minnesota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district, Lester Prairie Public School Dist., also runs Lester Prairie Elementary (213 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 Lester Prairie Secondary compares
Lester Prairie 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 | 24.7:1 | ▲ 56% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.0% | ▼ 46% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.7:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% 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
24.7:1
students per teacher
- 56% above state mean
Top 92% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.8%
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
$11,862
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 222 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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 77.0%
Hispanic or Latino 18.9%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 77.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.1, Lester Prairie Secondary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lester Prairie Public School Dist., which includes Lester Prairie Secondary.
$11,862
Per student
-22%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 59.9%
Federal 10.1%
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 Lester Prairie Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lester Prairie Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lester Prairie Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 213
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~222 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lester Prairie Secondary's federal record.
- Compare Lester Prairie Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- Lester Prairie Public School Dist.'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 Lester Prairie Secondary
How many students attend Lester Prairie Secondary?
Lester Prairie Secondary has 222 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lester Prairie, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lester Prairie Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Lester Prairie Secondary is 24.7:1, which is 56% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 57% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lester Prairie Secondary?
23.0% of students at Lester Prairie Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lester Prairie Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Lester Prairie Secondary is White at 77.0% of enrollment, in Lester Prairie, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lester Prairie Secondary?
Lester Prairie Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Lester Prairie Secondary a good school?
Lester Prairie Secondary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Lester Prairie Public School Dist.?
Besides Lester Prairie Secondary, Lester Prairie Public School Dist. also operates Lester Prairie Elementary (213 students). See the Lester Prairie Public School Dist. 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.