Enrollment
23
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Thief River Falls, MN
Northwest Area Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Northwest Area Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 273885002290
👥 S:T ratio 8
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwest Area Learning Center earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Thief River Falls · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 53.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwest Area Learning Center has class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest Area Learning Center ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Thief River Falls, MN.
School address
District: Thief River Falls School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 273885002290 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+46% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwest Area Learning Center compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwest Area Learning Center
Northwest Area Learning Center is a higher-need, small high school in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, enrolling 23 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23:1 is larger than about 90% of Minnesota schools and 46% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 23 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 79 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 53/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 128 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Thief River Falls School District also operates Challenger Elementary (727 students) and Lincoln Senior High (521 students) alongside Northwest Area Learning Center.
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 Northwest Area Learning Center compares
Northwest Area Learning Center on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23:1 | ▲ 46% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.1% | ▲ 24% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 23 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23:1
Leaner classes than 8% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
23
Bigger than 3% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
23:1
students per teacher
- 46% above state mean
Top 90% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$12,756
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 65.2%
Hispanic or Latino 13.0%
Two or More 13.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 8.7%
Largest group: White at 65.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Northwest Area Learning Center is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Thief River Falls School District, which includes Northwest Area Learning Center.
$12,756
Per student
-16%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.9%
State 63.2%
Federal 12.9%
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.
How Northwest Area Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Franklin Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwest Area Learning Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 727
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 454
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~23 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwest Area Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Northwest Area Learning Center against another school. Compare schools
- Thief River Falls 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 Northwest Area Learning Center
How many students attend Northwest Area Learning Center?
Northwest Area Learning Center has 23 students enrolled. It is a high school in Thief River Falls, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwest Area Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwest Area Learning Center is 23:1, which is 46% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 46% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwest Area Learning Center?
53.1% of students at Northwest Area Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwest Area Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Northwest Area Learning Center is White at 65.2% of enrollment, in Thief River Falls, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwest Area Learning Center?
Northwest Area Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Northwest Area Learning Center rank among public schools in Thief River Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest Area Learning Center ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Thief River Falls, 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 Thief River Falls on the city page.
Is Northwest Area Learning Center a good school?
Northwest Area Learning Center earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Thief River Falls School District?
Besides Northwest Area Learning Center, Thief River Falls School District also operates Challenger Elementary (727 students), Lincoln Senior High (521 students), and Franklin Middle (454 students). See the Thief River Falls School District district page for the complete list.
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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.