Enrollment
231
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 274092001713
Verndale Secondary — Verndale, MN
Federal NCES profile for Verndale Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 6
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 →
School address
District: Verndale Public 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Verndale 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
Verndale Secondary reports 231 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% below the Minnesota average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 231 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Verndale Public School District spends $16,284 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.8% from local sources (property taxes), 77.8% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Verndale 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 1% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 231 | top 46% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 66% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.7%
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
$16,284
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 231 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 231 Top 46% in Minnesota — larger than 54% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.4% -1% vs state
NCES ID 274092001713
Student demographics
White 89.2%
Two or More 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 231:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Verndale Public School District, which includes Verndale Secondary.
$16,284
Per student
-23%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 77.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 253
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
Similar other schools in Verndale
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 Verndale Secondary
How many students attend Verndale Secondary?
Verndale Secondary has 231 students enrolled. It is a other school in VERNDALE, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Verndale Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at Verndale Secondary is 16.3:1, which is 3% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Verndale Secondary?
42.4% of students at Verndale Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Verndale Secondary?
The largest demographic group at Verndale Secondary is White at 89.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in VERNDALE, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Verndale Secondary?
Verndale Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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.