Enrollment
283
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270000101613
Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary — Mountain Iron, MN
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 22
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: Mountain Iron-Buhl 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Iron-Buhl 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
Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary reports 283 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 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: 38.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Minnesota average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mountain Iron-Buhl School District spends $19,582 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.7% from local sources (property taxes), 68.8% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Mountain Iron-Buhl 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 | 38.1% | ▼ 11% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 52% | — | — |
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
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
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
31.1%
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
$19,582
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 283 Top 52% in Minnesota — larger than 48% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.1% -11% vs state
NCES ID 270000101613
Student demographics
White 83.7%
Two or More 8.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.8%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Iron-Buhl School District, which includes Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary.
$19,582
Per student
-7%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.7%
State 68.8%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 354
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar other schools in Mountain Iron
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 Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary
How many students attend Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary?
Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary has 283 students enrolled. It is a other school in MOUNTAIN IRON, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Iron-Buhl 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 Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary?
38.1% of students at Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary is White at 83.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in MOUNTAIN IRON, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary?
Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.