Enrollment
70
High
DISTRICT 27 · STATE 371
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTHERN MN EDUCATION CONSORTIUM·NCES 270032704978
SMEC ALC
21697 STATE HIGHWAY 56, AUSTIN, MN 55912 · (507) 857-1160 · Mower County
GRADES 05–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOOL70 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Schools serving specialized populations are not graded, because state test results are not a fair comparison for them. How grades work
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
5 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 8.0:1 · STATE 16.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
61%
43 students
DISTRICT 68% · 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 7 | 1 | 1% |
| Grade 8 | 1 | 1% |
| Grade 9 | 13 | 19% |
| Grade 10 | 18 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 21 | 30% |
| Grade 12 | 16 | 23% |
Student demographics
39%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
BeatsExpectations
Not computed for this schoolBeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →
Where SMEC ALC ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Mower County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 70 | #508 of 764 | #7 of 8 |
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
70
+31 (+79%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 39.0:1
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 | 70 | 5 | 14.0:1 | 61% (43) |
| 2023-24 | 73 | 2 | 36.5:1 | 78% (57) |
| 2022-23 | 45 | 1 | 45.0:1 | 71% (32) |
| 2020-21 | 39 | 1 | 39.0:1 | 23% (9) |
| 2017-18 | 21 | 1 | 21.0:1 | 67% (14) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for SMEC ALC.
Since 2017-18: students up 233% (21 to 70); teachers up 400% (1 to 5).
About SMEC ALC
SMEC ALC is a public small high school in AUSTIN, Minnesota. The school counts 70 students across grades 5 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in Minnesota is about 371 students.
Besides SMEC ALC, Southern MN Education Consortium runs 12 other schools. The district enrolls 181 students.
Roughly 76% of students at SMEC ALC are White. Other groups include 19% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. The county population is about 75% White, within a few points of the school. SMEC ALC's diversity index is 39%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 14.0:1, with 5 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is 2.3 students per teacher below the 16.3:1 average for high schools in Minnesota. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 61% of enrollment.
County data help place the school in context: in Mower County, the median household income is $73,074, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 24%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. In all, Mower County has 34 public schools and roughly 7,434 students.
The shortest distance from SMEC ALC to another public school is less than a tenth of a mile, to RESET. Counting only straight-line distance, 5 other public schools are within five miles.
The school's locale code, Rural: Distant, means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Federal records list enrollment at SMEC ALC as 39 in 2020-21 and 70 in 2024-25. A change that size can reflect a shift in the grades the school serves as well as a change in students. The number of students per teacher fell from 39.0 to 14.0 over 4 years.
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Mower County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
40,343
Census ACS
Median income
$73,074
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
34
7,434 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Southern MN Education Consortium
- Enrich AldenCombined · 17 students
- CARDS ProgramCombined · 16 students
- Success EastCombined · 16 students
- RESETCombined · 11 students
- Enrich KingslandCombined · 10 students
- First Step - KingslandElementary · 9 students
Other schools in AUSTIN
- Austin Senior HighHigh · 1,485 students
- Ellis MiddleMiddle · 726 students
- I.J. Holton Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 712 students
- Banfield ElementaryElementary · 574 students
- Southgate ElementaryElementary · 539 students
- Sumner ElementaryElementary · 387 students
Nearby schools
- RESET0.0 mi · 11
- New Dominion Academy3.1 mi · 1
- Neveln Elementary3.7 mi · 381
- I.J. Holton Intermediate School3.9 mi · 712
- Ellis Middle4.0 mi · 726
- Austin Community Learning Center5.0 mi · 87
Frequently asked questions
About SMEC ALCHow large is SMEC ALC?
SMEC ALC enrolls approximately 70 students in grades 05-12.
What age range does SMEC ALC serve?
SMEC ALC serves students from grade 05 through grade 12.
How many teachers does SMEC ALC have?
SMEC ALC employs 5 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.0:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at SMEC ALC?
At SMEC ALC, the student body is approximately 76% White, 19% Hispanic, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees SMEC ALC?
SMEC ALC is overseen by Southern MN Education Consortium in Mower County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.