Enrollment
123
Elementary
DISTRICT 130 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HERON LAKE-OKABENA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 271393000015
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY
321 STEARNS AVE, HERON LAKE, MN 56137 · (507) 793-2307 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL123 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 40% of Minnesota public elementary 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.6:1
12 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.1:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
62 students
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 12 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 16 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 11 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 20 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 19 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (16) is 16% smaller than its 6th grade class (19).
Student demographics
35%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 42% · 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
Students here typically continue to
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY→Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary
Based on grade levels within HERON LAKE-OKABENA SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
43.3%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
40.3%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 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
40.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.0%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY's state test result (40.0% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY this school | 123 | 50.4% | 40.0% |
| Early Education Center ALEXANDRIA | 114 | 49.1% | N/A |
| Fisher Elementary FISHER | 123 | 50.4% | 30.8% |
| GLENVILLE EMMONS ELEMENTARY GLENVILLE | 132 | 46.2% | 35.0% |
| LYLE ELEMENTARY LYLE | 125 | 55.2% | 28.3% |
| NORMAN COUNTY EAST ELEMENTARY TWIN VALLEY | 95 | 47.4% | 32.3% |
Matched among Minnesota elementary 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 HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #534 of 844 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.3% | #577 of 844 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.3% | #529 of 844 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 123 | #900 of 1,130 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.4% | #331 of 942 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
123
-13 (-10%) vs 2020
-46% since 1990-91, when it was 226
Student : Teacher
10.6:1
was 10.5:1
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 | 123 | 11.6 | 10.6:1 | 50% (62) |
| 2023-24 | 132 | 12 | 11.1:1 | 56% (74) |
| 2022-23 | 133 | 12.8 | 10.4:1 | 55% (73) |
| 2020-21 | 136 | 13 | 10.5:1 | 44% (60) |
| 2017-18 | 156 | 12.4 | 12.6:1 | 49% (76) |
| 2015-16 | 143 | 12 | 11.9:1 | 52% (74) |
| 2010-11 | 155 | 12 | 12.9:1 | 46% (71) |
| 2000-01 | 159 | 13 | 12.2:1 | 36% (57) |
| 1990-91 | 226 | 16 | 14.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (156 to 123); teachers down 7% (12.4 to 11.6).
About HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY is a small elementary school in HERON LAKE, Minnesota. The school serves 123 students in pre-K through 6 in 2024-25. For comparison, elementary schools in Minnesota average about 344 students.
Federal data list 2 schools in HERON LAKE-OKABENA SCHOOL DISTRICT, with 260 students enrolled.
At 80%, White students outnumber all other groups at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY combined. After that, the student body is 13% Hispanic, 2% multiracial, and 2% Native American. Among all residents of Jackson County, the White share is about 91%. HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY has a diversity index of 35%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY counts 11.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 10.6 students for each one. Among elementary schools in Minnesota, the typical ratio is 13.7:1. About 50% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Jackson County, the average eligibility rate is 40%.
Measured against Minnesota public elementary schools, HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY receives a C+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY sits between the top and bottom 10% of Minnesota schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 40.0% and a predicted 38.0%.
Census Bureau estimates for Jackson County show that median household income is about $75,743, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY is one of 7 public schools in Jackson County, which together enroll about 1,353 students.
Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary is the closest public school, about 3.6 miles away in a straight line. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY ranks 4th on proficiency.
The school's federal locale classification is Rural: Remote.
The number of students dropped from 136 to 123 over 4 years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,933
Census ACS
Median income
$75,743
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
7
1,353 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in HERON LAKE-OKABENA SCHOOL DISTRICT
- Heron Lake-Okabena SecondaryHigh · 137 students
Nearby schools
- Heron Lake-Okabena Secondary3.6 mi · 137
- Round Lake-Brewster Elementary10.1 mi · 377
- Round Lake-Brewster Middle School10.1 mi · 118
- Windom Senior High10.8 mi · 327
- Windom Middle10.8 mi · 359
- Windom Area Elementary10.9 mi · 493
Frequently asked questions
About HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY?
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 123 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY serve?
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY?
The student-to-teacher ratio at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY is approximately 10.6:1 (12 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY?
At HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY, the student body is approximately 80% White, 13% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY in?
HERON LAKE-OKABENA ELEMENTARY is part of HERON LAKE-OKABENA SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.