Enrollment
392
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 279145002326
Mesabi East Secondary — Aurora, MN
Federal NCES profile for Mesabi East Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 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: Mesabi East 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.7%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesabi East 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
Mesabi East Secondary reports 392 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Minnesota average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 392 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mesabi East School District spends $18,835 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.3% from the state, and 12.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Mesabi East 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.7% | ▼ 17% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 392 | top 63% | — | — |
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
35.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% 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
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 68% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.0%
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
$18,835
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 392 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
91
in-school suspensions + 50 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 392 Top 63% in Minnesota — larger than 37% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.7% -17% vs state
NCES ID 279145002326
Student demographics
White 88.8%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 88.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 392:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.0%
In-school suspensions 91
Out-of-school suspensions 50
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesabi East School District, which includes Mesabi East Secondary.
$18,835
Per student
-11%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 56.3%
Federal 12.3%
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
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
Similar other schools in Aurora
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Mesabi East Secondary
How many students attend Mesabi East Secondary?
Mesabi East Secondary has 392 students enrolled. It is a other school in AURORA, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesabi East Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesabi East Secondary is 16.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mesabi East Secondary?
35.7% of students at Mesabi East Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesabi East Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Mesabi East Secondary is White at 88.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in AURORA, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesabi East Secondary?
Mesabi East Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.