Enrollment
334
High
DISTRICT 123 · STATE 371
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BENSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270447000199
BENSON SECONDARY
1400 MONTANA AVE, BENSON, MN 56215 · (320) 843-2710 · Swift County
GRADES 06–12HIGH43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL334 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 27% of Minnesota public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public high schools
Student : Teacher
12.6:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 16.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
127 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 41 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 58 | 17% |
| Grade 8 | 42 | 13% |
| Grade 9 | 44 | 13% |
| Grade 10 | 48 | 14% |
| Grade 11 | 58 | 17% |
| Grade 12 | 43 | 13% |
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within BENSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
38.4%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
32.3%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.6%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BENSON SECONDARY
BENSON SECONDARY's state test result (33.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BENSON SECONDARY this school | 334 | 38.0% | 33.2% |
| Ada-Borup-West Secondary ADA | 335 | 39.4% | 53.4% |
| Breckenridge Middle/High School BRECKENRIDGE | 311 | 38.6% | 41.0% |
| SPRINGFIELD SECONDARY SPRINGFIELD | 314 | 39.8% | 45.8% |
| Yellow Medicine East Secondary GRANITE FALLS | 321 | 38.0% | 30.3% |
| WARREN-ALVARADO-OSLO SECONDARY WARREN | 273 | 36.3% | 33.9% |
Matched among Minnesota high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BENSON SECONDARY ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.2% | #270 of 397 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.3% | #208 of 401 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.4% | #292 of 397 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 334 | #241 of 764 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.6:1 | #28 of 332 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.3% | #184 of 338 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 38.0% | #206 of 444 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.3% | #109 of 146 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
334
-65 (-16%) vs 2020
-37% since 1990-91, when it was 530
Student : Teacher
12.6:1
was 23.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 334 | 26.4 | 12.6:1 | 38% (127) |
| 2023-24 | 356 | 26.6 | 13.4:1 | 44% (156) |
| 2022-23 | 353 | 21 | 16.8:1 | 45% (160) |
| 2020-21 | 399 | 17 | 23.5:1 | 33% (133) |
| 2017-18 | 349 | 26.5 | 13.2:1 | 31% (108) |
| 2015-16 | 384 | 26 | 14.8:1 | 29% (111) |
| 2010-11 | 459 | 34 | 13.5:1 | 30% (137) |
| 2000-01 | 558 | 37 | 15.1:1 | 27% (153) |
| 1990-91 | 530 | 35 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BENSON SECONDARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (349 to 334); teachers unchanged (26.5 to 26.4).
About BENSON SECONDARY
As a mid-sized high school, BENSON SECONDARY serves students in BENSON, Minnesota. It had 334 students in 2024-25, spanning grades 6 through 12.
BENSON SECONDARY is one of the 4 schools that make up BENSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT (760 students in total).
BENSON SECONDARY is 81% White by enrollment. The remaining shares are 11% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% multiracial, and 2% Asian. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, BENSON SECONDARY scores 32%.
There are 26.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at BENSON SECONDARY, giving a ratio of 12.6:1. The school's 12.6:1 compares with an average of 16.3:1 for high schools in Minnesota. By family income, 38% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
On the allk12 Grade, BENSON SECONDARY lands at C, ahead of 27% of Minnesota public high schools.
BENSON SECONDARY sits between the top and bottom 10% of Minnesota schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 33.2% and a predicted 44.6%.
American Community Survey estimates for Swift County show that median household income comes to about $60,412, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Swift County counts 8 public schools with about 1,767 students.
BENSON SECONDARY's nearest public school is BENSON AREA LEARNING CENTER (less than a tenth of a mile). The count of other public schools within five miles is 3. Ranked by average proficiency, BENSON SECONDARY places 6th out of 7 schools in its immediate area.
The federal government classifies BENSON SECONDARY's location as Rural: Remote.
Enrollment figures show a decline of 65 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The ratio was 23.5:1 in 2020-21 and 12.6:1 in 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Swift County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,748
Census ACS
Median income
$60,412
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
8
1,767 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BENSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 391 students
- Heartland Girls RanchHigh · 22 students
- BENSON AREA LEARNING CENTERHigh · 13 students
Other schools in BENSON
- NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 391 students
- Heartland Girls RanchHigh · 22 students
- BENSON AREA LEARNING CENTERHigh · 13 students
Nearby schools
- BENSON AREA LEARNING CENTER0.0 mi · 13
- NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY0.4 mi · 391
- Heartland Girls Ranch0.7 mi · 22
- MURDOCK ELEMENTARY11.9 mi · 395
- HANCOCK ELEMENTARY15.4 mi · 233
- HANCOCK SEC.15.4 mi · 204
Frequently asked questions
About BENSON SECONDARYWhat is the total enrollment at BENSON SECONDARY?
BENSON SECONDARY enrolls approximately 334 students in grades 06-12.
What age range does BENSON SECONDARY serve?
BENSON SECONDARY serves students from grade 06 through grade 12.
How many teachers does BENSON SECONDARY have?
BENSON SECONDARY employs 26 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.6:1.
What is the student diversity at BENSON SECONDARY?
Student demographics at BENSON SECONDARY are roughly 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 3% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees BENSON SECONDARY?
BENSON SECONDARY is overseen by BENSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT in Swift County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.