Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Summary:

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in Cass Lake, Minnesota, with a student population of 478. The school is part of the Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools district, which is ranked 416 out of 463 districts in Minnesota and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary stands out for its significantly higher percentage of Native American and multi-racial students compared to nearby schools like W.H.A. Elementary, Northern Elementary, and Horace May Elementary. However, the school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Minnesota elementary schools, with low proficiency rates in Math and Reading on the MCA-III assessments. While the school performs well for its Native American students, it struggles with its other student subgroups, particularly female, male, special education, and low socioeconomic status students.

The high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary, ranging from 71.33% to 85.36% over the past few years, suggests the school serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges. Despite these challenges, the school's low student-teacher ratio provides opportunities for targeted interventions and support programs to address the specific needs of its diverse student population and improve educational outcomes.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

 15 4th St NW
       Cass Lake, MN  56633-0004


(218) 335-2201

District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
699th of 881 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $19,545 Help


Students who attend Cass Lake-Bena Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Cass Lake-Bena Middle School
High:    Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Student/teacher ratio:  10.0 Help
Number of students:  458

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:
98.5%
White:
1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  86.2% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Cass Lake-Bena Elementary ranks worse than 79.3% of elementary schools in Minnesota. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.75. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: American Indian (98.5%), White (1.5%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 86.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary is 10. (See more...)
Help
Compare Cass Lake-Bena Elementary employs 45.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary is $19,545.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cass Lake-Bena Elementary 699th of 881 Minnesota public elementary schools. (See Cass Lake-Bena Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Native American students:


Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools 416th of 463 Minnesota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 24.32 664th 756 12.2%
2007 37.06 625th 777 19.6%
2008 30.31 651st 781 16.6%
2009 12.95 401st 434 7.6%
2010 12.79 731st 803 9.0%
2011 14.70 733rd 814 10.0%
2012 31.15 676th 820 17.6%
2013 16.25 732nd 824 11.2%
2014 7.98 767th 826 7.1%
2015 15.28 733rd 840 12.7%
2016 19.23 728th 848 14.2%
2017 20.94 717th 853 15.9%
2018 16.58 732nd 847 13.6%
2019 16.33 748th 870 14.0%
2021 17.14 725th 869 16.6%
2022 9.34 764th 858 11.0%
2023 11.69 745th 845 11.8%
2024 23.75 699th 881 20.7%
See the entire list of Minnesota Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 41.85 26th 45 42.2%
2022 19.56 72nd 87 17.2%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 16.31 410th 463 11.4%
2019 22.42 428th 515 16.9%
2022 13.65 469th 500 6.2%
2023 31.00 390th 524 25.6%
2024 48.47 290th 572 49.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.92 532nd 728 26.9%
2019 29.41 577th 740 22.0%
2021 37.29 465th 683 31.9%
2022 25.01 533rd 663 19.6%
2023 21.00 643rd 774 16.9%
2024 39.23 518th 793 34.7%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.18 654th 774 15.5%
2019 18.79 676th 787 14.1%
2021 18.69 654th 783 16.5%
2022 8.68 729th 799 8.8%
2023 10.11 716th 787 9.0%
2024 20.63 667th 809 17.6%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 14.39 693rd 779 11.0%
2019 14.73 696th 798 12.8%
2021 15.33 673rd 784 14.2%
2022 11.05 724th 808 10.4%
2023 13.89 697th 799 12.8%
2024 26.16 653rd 826 20.9%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MN State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.21 8th 22 63.6%
2019 50.97 12th 26 53.8%
2021 40.05 13th 20 35.0%
2022 35.89 16th 21 23.8%
2023 40.92 21st 39 46.2%
2024 59.37 15th 42 64.3%
See the entire list of Best Minnesota Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Data source: test scores: Minnesota Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 163 3 0 0 334 n/a n/a 0 500
1989 151 0 0 0 363 n/a n/a 0 514
1990 165 0 0 0 356 n/a n/a 0 521
1991 164 0 0 0 361 n/a n/a 0 525
1992 160 0 3 0 383 n/a n/a 0 546
1993 213 0 2 0 300 n/a n/a 0 515
1994 141 0 3 1 404 n/a n/a 0 549
1995 138 2 8 0 469 n/a n/a 0 617
1996 138 2 8 0 469 n/a n/a 0 617
1997 140 2 5 1 482 n/a n/a 0 630
1998 136 1 6 1 528 n/a n/a 19 691
1999 136 2 1 1 523 n/a n/a 0 663
2000 119 3 3 1 548 n/a n/a 0 674
2001 102 3 4 1 565 n/a n/a 0 675
2002 70 1 3 1 383 n/a n/a 0 458
2003 70 1 3 1 383 n/a n/a 0 458
2004 71 1 2 0 392 n/a n/a 0 466
2005 44 1 1 0 364 n/a n/a 0 410
2006 50 2 0 0 370 n/a n/a 0 422
2007 38 0 0 1 382 n/a n/a 0 421
2008 35 0 0 2 427 n/a n/a 0 464
2009 35 0 2 3 452 n/a n/a 0 492
2010 37 1 6 8 471 n/a n/a 0 523
2011 37 1 1 14 427 0 42 0 522
2012 49 1 0 10 416 0 58 0 534
2013 43 2 0 15 467 0 20 0 547
2014 41 1 0 14 440 0 37 0 533
2015 37 0 0 16 453 0 40 0 546
2016 40 0 0 20 456 0 45 0 561
2017 34 1 0 22 431 1 54 0 543
2018 32 1 0 16 418 1 66 0 534
2019 25 1 0 15 395 1 67 0 504
2020 20 0 0 17 335 0 116 0 488
2021 17 0 0 16 252 0 144 0 429
2022 19 0 0 9 209 0 235 0 472
2023 10 0 0 12 141 0 315 0 478
2024 7 0 0 0 451 0 0 0 458

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 500 27.4 18.2 62.4
1989 514 31.3 16.4 50.8
1990 521 35.3 14.7 70.1
1991 525 37.2 14.1 66.9
1992 546 36.0 15.1 64.7
1993 515 35.1 14.7 56.5
1994 549 36.3 15.1 83.6
1995 617 39.1 15.8 74.2
1996 617 39.1 15.8 74.2
1997 630 42.5 14.8 94.9
1998 691 n/a 0.0 41.4
1999 663 50.8 13.1 52.5
2000 674 46.3 14.6 75.2
2001 675 48.7 13.9 73
2002 458 44.1 10.4 71.6
2003 458 44.1 10.4 71.6
2004 466 43.7 10.7 70
2005 410 43.1 9.5 79
2006 422 43.6 9.7 74.6
2007 421 46.7 9.0 83.1
2008 464 44.0 10.5 87.1
2009 492 39.9 12.3 86
2010 523 44.7 11.7 85.7
2011 522 44.7 11.6 79.5
2012 534 43.6 12.2 82.8
2013 547 39.9 13.6 85.7
2014 533 40.9 13.0 88.6
2015 546 43.0 12.6 81.7
2016 561 44.0 12.7 81.1
2017 543 44.1 12.2 85.8
2018 534 44.0 12.1 82.8
2019 504 44.5 11.3 84.5
2020 488 45.1 10.7 82
2021 429 45.8 9.3 71.3
2022 472 45.0 10.4 80.3
2023 478 44.6 10.7 85.4
2024 458 45.5 10.0 86.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 500 27.4 18.2 62.4
1989 514 31.3 16.4 50.8
1990 521 35.3 14.7 70.1
1991 525 37.2 14.1 66.9
1992 546 36.0 15.1 64.7
1993 515 35.1 14.7 56.5
1994 549 36.3 15.1 83.6
1995 617 39.1 15.8 74.2
1996 617 39.1 15.8 74.2
1997 630 42.5 14.8 94.9
1998 691 n/a 0.0 41.4
1999 663 50.8 13.1 52.5
2000 674 46.3 14.6 75.2
2001 675 48.7 13.9 73
2002 458 44.1 10.4 71.6
2003 458 44.1 10.4 71.6
2004 466 43.7 10.7 70
2005 410 43.1 9.5 79
2006 422 43.6 9.7 74.6
2007 421 46.7 9.0 83.1
2008 464 44.0 10.5 87.1
2009 492 39.9 12.3 86
2010 523 44.7 11.7 85.7
2011 522 44.7 11.6 79.5
2012 534 43.6 12.2 82.8
2013 547 39.9 13.6 85.7
2014 533 40.9 13.0 88.6
2015 546 43.0 12.6 81.7
2016 561 44.0 12.7 81.1
2017 543 44.1 12.2 85.8
2018 534 44.0 12.1 82.8
2019 504 44.5 11.3 84.5
2020 488 45.1 10.7 82
2021 429 45.8 9.3 71.3
2022 472 45.0 10.4 80.3
2023 478 44.6 10.7 85.4
2024 458 45.5 10.0 86.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $19,545

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 748th of 870 Elementary schoolsRanks 745th of 845 Elementary schools
 2.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Elementary)4730.3
 16.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)4730.3
 16.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Minnesota)65.659.1
 6.5%
3rd Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Elementary)3326.7
 6.3%
   3rd Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)3326.7
 6.3%
   3rd Grade Reading (Minnesota)54.647.4
 7.2%
4th Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Elementary)42.124.7
 17.3%
   4th Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)42.124.7
 17.3%
   4th Grade Math (Minnesota)63.957.1
 6.8%
4th Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Elementary)30.719.4
 11.3%
   4th Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)30.719.4
 11.3%
   4th Grade Reading (Minnesota)55.448.4
 7.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students504478
 5.2%
African American10
 100%
American Indian395141
 64.3%
Asian00
Hispanic1512
 20%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White2510
 60%
Two or More Races67315
 370.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients84.5%85.4%
 0.8%


Schools Near Cass Lake-Bena Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Students who attend Cass Lake-Bena Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cass Lake-Bena Middle School
High : Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary are 98% American Indian, 2% White.

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.7% of Minnesota elementary schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 458 students attended Cass Lake-Bena Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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