Enrollment
241
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 272301001135
Mountain Lake Secondary — Mountain Lake, MN
Federal NCES profile for Mountain Lake Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 19
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 Lake Public Schools · 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
16.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mountain Lake 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 Lake Secondary reports 241 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Minnesota average and 20% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 241 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mountain Lake Public Schools spends $20,173 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 64.5% from the state, and 10.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Mountain Lake 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.4% | ▼ 3% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 48% | — | — |
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
41.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 66% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.4%
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
$20,173
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 241 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 241 Top 48% in Minnesota — larger than 52% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.4% -3% vs state
NCES ID 272301001135
Student demographics
White 56.0%
Hispanic or Latino 28.6%
Asian 7.9%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 56.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 241:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.4%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Lake Public Schools, which includes Mountain Lake Secondary.
$20,173
Per student
-4%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 64.5%
Federal 10.9%
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
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Mountain Lake
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 Lake Secondary
How many students attend Mountain Lake Secondary?
Mountain Lake Secondary has 241 students enrolled. It is a other school in MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Lake Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Lake Secondary is 16.3:1, which is 3% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mountain Lake Secondary?
41.4% of students at Mountain Lake Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Lake Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Mountain Lake Secondary is White at 56.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MOUNTAIN LAKE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Lake Secondary?
Mountain Lake Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.