Cass Lake-Bena Middle School

Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is a small junior high in CASS LAKE, Minnesota, part of CASS LAKE-BENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The school hosts 312 students in grades 5 through 8. That puts it 37% leaner than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 495 students.

CASS LAKE-BENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 1,119 students; Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School shows that the student body is overwhelmingly Native American (94%). Other groups include 4% White.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.6:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 78% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Cass County (around 61%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Cass Lake-Bena Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 23.2%; this one delivers 12.6%.

Across the wider county, Cass County reports that median household earnings sit near $68,874, about 26% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Cass County runs 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,570 students), of which Cass Lake-Bena Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is CASS LAKE-BENA SECONDARY, roughly 0.1 miles away. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Cass Lake-Bena Middle School at 7th of 8; the average score across the group is 34.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Five-year trend. Cass Lake-Bena Middle School's enrollment has edged down 12% since 2018, when it stood at 355 (now 312). Over the same period, the White share fell from 9% to 4%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 12.0:1 in 2018 to 10.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.