High school (grades 9-12) · North Branch, MN

North Branch Area High School

Federal NCES profile for North Branch Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 272382001162
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
12
📚 AP courses
10
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
21
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

North Branch Area High School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Minnesota schools.

#9 of 9
public schools in North Branch · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
22:1
large classes for Minnesota
22.7%
free-lunch eligible

North Branch Area High School has class sizes larger than 88% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, North Branch Area High School ranks #9 of 9 public schools in North Branch, MN.

Enrollment

791

Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

36.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22:1

vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg

+39% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

22.7%

vs 42.8% Minnesota avg

-47% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How North Branch Area High School compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at North Branch Area High School

North Branch Area High School is a large high school in North Branch, Minnesota, enrolling 791 students.

Class loads run heavy: 22:1 is larger than about 88% of Minnesota schools and 39% 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 22.7% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 90% of state schools at 791 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.

Among 355 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #288, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).

No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

North Branch Area Public Schools also operates Sunrise River Elementary School (960 students) and North Branch Area Middle School (615 students) alongside North Branch Area High School.

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 North Branch Area High School compares

North Branch Area High School on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Minnesota Minnesota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 22:1 ▲ 39% 15.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 22.7% ▼ 47% 42.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 791 top 10% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
791
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
22.7%
free-lunch eligible - 47% 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
22:1
students per teacher - 39% above state mean
Top 88% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
47.2%
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
$12,435
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 396 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 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 82.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 5.3%
Asian 4.9%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Largest group: White at 82.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 30.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 30.4, North Branch Area High School is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.

Programs

AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Branch Area Public Schools, which includes North Branch Area High School.

$12,435
Per student
-19%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.9%
State 60.0%
Federal 9.1%

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 North Branch Area High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Sunrise River Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
North Branch Area Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
North Branch Area Education Center Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Distance Learning Academy Secondary Smaller Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Norse Area Learning Center Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to North Branch Area High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

North Branch Area Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on North Branch Area High School's federal record.

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 North Branch Area High School

How many students attend North Branch Area High School?

North Branch Area High School has 791 students enrolled. It is a high school in North Branch, MN.

What is the student-teacher ratio at North Branch Area High School?

The student-teacher ratio at North Branch Area High School is 22:1, which is 39% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Branch Area High School?

22.7% of students at North Branch Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Branch Area High School?

The largest demographic group at North Branch Area High School is White at 82.9% of enrollment, in North Branch, MN.

What is the Resource Investment Index for North Branch Area High School?

North Branch Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does North Branch Area High School rank among public schools in North Branch?

By Resource Investment Index, North Branch Area High School ranks #9 of 9 public schools in North Branch, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in North Branch on the city page.

Is North Branch Area High School a good school?

North Branch Area High School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 North Branch Area Public Schools?

Besides North Branch Area High School, North Branch Area Public Schools also operates Sunrise River Elementary School (960 students), North Branch Area Middle School (615 students), and North Branch Area Education Center (239 students). See the North Branch Area Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.