Enrollment
38
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Perham, MN
Perham Area Learning Center
Federal NCES profile for Perham Area Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 272823001023
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perham Area Learning Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Perham · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 38:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 54.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Perham Area Learning Center has class sizes larger than 97% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Perham Area Learning Center ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Perham, MN.
School address
District: Perham-Dent Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272823001023 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
38:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+141% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perham Area Learning Center compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Perham Area Learning Center
Perham Area Learning Center is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Perham, Minnesota, enrolling 38 students.
Class loads run heavy: 38:1 is larger than about 97% of Minnesota schools and 141% 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 54.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 38 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 86 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #40.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 67 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Perham-Dent Public School District also operates Heart of the Lake Elementary (578 students) and Perham Senior High (529 students) alongside Perham 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 Perham Area Learning Center compares
Perham 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 | 38:1 | ▲ 141% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▲ 26% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 38 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
38:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
38
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
38:1
students per teacher
- 141% above state mean
Top 97% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$13,394
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.6 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 71.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.8%
Two or More 7.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.3%
Largest group: White at 71.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.0, Perham Area Learning Center is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perham-Dent Public School District, which includes Perham Area Learning Center.
$13,394
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 60.6%
Federal 11.6%
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 Perham Area Learning Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of the Lake Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Perham Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Prairie Wind Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perham Area Learning Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 578
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 10/100
- Enrollment
- 526
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
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 (~38 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~38:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perham Area Learning Center's federal record.
- Compare Perham Area Learning Center against another school. Compare schools
- Perham-Dent Public 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 Perham Area Learning Center
How many students attend Perham Area Learning Center?
Perham Area Learning Center has 38 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Perham, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perham Area Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Perham Area Learning Center is 38:1, which is 141% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 142% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perham Area Learning Center?
54.1% of students at Perham Area Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perham Area Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Perham Area Learning Center is White at 71.1% of enrollment, in Perham, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perham Area Learning Center?
Perham Area Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Perham Area Learning Center rank among public schools in Perham?
By Resource Investment Index, Perham Area Learning Center ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Perham, 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 Perham on the city page.
Is Perham Area Learning Center a good school?
Perham Area Learning Center earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% 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 Perham-Dent Public School District?
Besides Perham Area Learning Center, Perham-Dent Public School District also operates Heart of the Lake Elementary (578 students), Perham Senior High (529 students), and Prairie Wind Middle (526 students). See the Perham-Dent Public 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.