Enrollment
83
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 279144602314
Tri-County Secondary — Karlstad, MN
Federal NCES profile for Tri-County Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 37
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 →
The verdict
Tri-County Secondary earns an F Resource Investment Index (34/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 34/100
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 44.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 83
- students enrolled
School address
District: Tri-County School District · 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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tri-County 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
Tri-County Secondary reports 83 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% below the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 22% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% above the Minnesota average and 14% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 415 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tri-County School District spends $19,020 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $15,270 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 25.5% from local sources (property taxes), 59.1% from the state, and 15.5% 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 Tri-County 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.6% | ▲ 4% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 83 | top 27% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 75% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
83 larger than 8% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
44.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
— 23% below state mean
Top 30% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.3%
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
$19,020
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 415 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 83 Top 27% in Minnesota — larger than 73% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.6% +4% vs state
NCES ID 279144602314
Student demographics
White 92.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
African American 2.4%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 92.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 415:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.3%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tri-County School District, which includes Tri-County Secondary.
$19,020
Per student
+25%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.5%
State 59.1%
Federal 15.5%
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
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
Similar other schools in Karlstad
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 Tri-County Secondary
How many students attend Tri-County Secondary?
Tri-County Secondary has 83 students enrolled. It is a other school in KARLSTAD, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tri-County Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Tri-County Secondary is 12.3:1, which is 23% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 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 Tri-County Secondary?
44.6% of students at Tri-County Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tri-County Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Tri-County Secondary is White at 92.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in KARLSTAD, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tri-County Secondary?
Tri-County 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.
Is Tri-County Secondary a good school?
Tri-County Secondary earns an F Resource Investment Index (34/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.