Enrollment
229
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Barrett, MN
West Central Area Secondary
Federal NCES profile for West Central Area Secondary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270010402566
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Central Area Secondary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 30.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 229
- students enrolled
West Central Area Secondary has class sizes smaller than 70% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Central Area · Minnesota
NCES ID 270010402566 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.8%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Central Area Secondary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Central Area Secondary
West Central Area Secondary is a mid-sized high school in Barrett, Minnesota, enrolling 229 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 229 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #121.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 229 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
West Central Area also operates Wca Middle School (232 students) and West Central Area N. El. (144 students) alongside West Central Area 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 West Central Area Secondary compares
West Central Area 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.8% | ▼ 28% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 229 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
229
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 30% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.8%
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
$14,876
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 229 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 88.6%
Two or More 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.0, West Central Area Secondary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Central Area, which includes West Central Area Secondary.
$14,876
Per student
-3%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 66.0%
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 West Central Area Secondary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wca Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Central Area N. El. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Central Area S. El. | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Central Area Secondary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 138
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~229 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Central Area Secondary's federal record.
- Compare West Central Area Secondary against another school. Compare schools
- West Central Area'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 West Central Area Secondary
How many students attend West Central Area Secondary?
West Central Area Secondary has 229 students enrolled. It is a high school in Barrett, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Central Area Secondary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Central Area Secondary is 12.1:1, which is 23% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 23% 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 West Central Area Secondary?
30.8% of students at West Central Area Secondary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Central Area Secondary?
The largest demographic group at West Central Area Secondary is White at 88.6% of enrollment, in Barrett, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Central Area Secondary?
West Central Area Secondary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is West Central Area Secondary a good school?
West Central Area Secondary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 West Central Area?
Besides West Central Area Secondary, West Central Area also operates Wca Middle School (232 students), West Central Area N. El. (144 students), and West Central Area S. El. (138 students). See the West Central Area 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.