Enrollment
245
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cook, MN
North Woods Secondary
Federal NCES profile for North Woods Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270000804459
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
North Woods Secondary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 43.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 245
- students enrolled
North Woods Secondary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Louis County School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270000804459 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Woods Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at North Woods Secondary
North Woods Secondary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Cook, Minnesota, enrolling 245 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.3% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 245 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 247 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #183, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (27%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 245 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 76 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 245 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students) and Cherry Elementary (297 students) alongside North Woods Secondary.
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 Woods Secondary compares
North Woods 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▲ 1% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 31% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.0%
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
$17,445
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 245 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.0 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 62.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 26.5%
Two or More 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 62.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.8, North Woods Secondary is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Louis County School District, which includes North Woods Secondary.
$17,445
Per student
+14%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.9%
State 58.7%
Federal 11.4%
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 Woods Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Ridge Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherry Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cherry Secondary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Ridge Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Woods Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to North Woods Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 303
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 273
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
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 (~245 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on North Woods Secondary's federal record.
- Compare North Woods Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- St. Louis County School District'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 North Woods Secondary
How many students attend North Woods Secondary?
North Woods Secondary has 245 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cook, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Woods Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at North Woods Secondary is 12.3:1, which is 22% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Woods Secondary?
43.3% of students at North Woods Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Woods Secondary?
The largest demographic group at North Woods Secondary is White at 62.0% of enrollment, in Cook, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Woods Secondary?
North Woods Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 North Woods Secondary a good school?
North Woods Secondary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 St. Louis County School District?
Besides North Woods Secondary, St. Louis County School District also operates South Ridge Elementary (303 students), Cherry Elementary (297 students), and Cherry Secondary (273 students). See the St. Louis County School District 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.