Is Cass Lake-Bena Secondary a good school?

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary ranks in the bottom 11.5% of Minnesota high schools.

How many students attend Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 256 students attended Cass Lake-Bena Secondary.

What is the racial makeup of Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?

Students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary are 89% American Indian, 9% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Cass Lake-Bena Secondary?

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Cass Lake-Bena Elementary Middle : Cass Lake-Bena Middle School

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Summary:

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is a public high school in Cass Lake, Minnesota, serving 256 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools district, which is ranked 416 out of 463 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary stands out for its significantly higher percentage of Native American students (88.67%) compared to the state average and nearby schools like Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Secondary and Bemidji Senior High. However, the school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Minnesota high schools academically, with performance on MCA-III assessments well below state and district averages. Cass Lake-Bena Secondary has also had a wide range of graduation rates, from 55.1% to 83.0%, and high dropout rates between 7.6% and 26.5% over the past five years.

Despite the challenges, Cass Lake-Bena Secondary's Native American students perform better than the school's overall performance, ranking 7th out of 16 Minnesota high schools in 2021-2022. However, the school's female, male, and special education student subgroups all rank in the bottom quartile statewide. Additionally, the school's student population has become less diverse, with the percentage of White students declining from 12.45% in 2020-2021 to 8.98% in 2022-2023. Addressing the chronic underperformance at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary will likely require a comprehensive, targeted approach to support the unique needs of the predominantly Native American student population.

Detail:

Public 9-12

15308 State 371 NW
Cass Lake, MN 56633-3373

(218) 335-2203

District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
425^th of 480 Minnesota High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $25,363

Feeder schools for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary:

Elementary:	Cass Lake-Bena Elementary
Middle:	Cass Lake-Bena Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.9

Number of students: 256

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

88.7%

White:

9.0%

Two or more races:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.3%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare Cass Lake-Bena Secondary to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cass Lake-Bena Secondary ranks worse than 88.5% of high schools in Minnesota. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.02. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Cass Lake-Bena Secondary freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: American Indian (88.7%), White (9%), two or more races (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is 10.9. (See more...)

Compare Cass Lake-Bena Secondary employs 23.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary is $25,363.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cass Lake-Bena Secondary 425^th of 480 Minnesota public high schools. (See Cass Lake-Bena Secondary in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Native American students:

Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools:

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

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Rank History for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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Rank History for all students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2004	34.68	357^th	433	17.6%
2005	46.64	343^rd	452	24.1%
2006	14.05	379^th	450	15.8%
2007	28.36	359^th	463	22.5%
2008	38.44	339^th	460	26.3%
2009	18.11	202^nd	234	13.7%
2010	38.66	368^th	540	31.9%
2011	36.46	372^nd	545	31.7%
2012	45.49	351^st	539	34.9%
2013	37.02	368^th	534	31.1%
2014	26.20	376^th	483	22.2%
2015	26.83	381^st	504	24.4%
2016	17.08	393^rd	489	19.6%
2017	24.69	376^th	489	23.1%
2018	25.18	379^th	494	23.3%
2019	24.66	385^th	492	21.7%
2021	14.18	381^st	428	11.0%
2022	26.50	365^th	472	22.7%
2023	14.93	404^th	476	15.1%
2024	12.02	425^th	480	11.5%

See the entire list of Minnesota High School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	18.13	175^th	195	10.3%
2021	74.89	31^st	173	82.1%
2024	22.22	184^th	221	16.7%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	33.31	269^th	374	28.1%
2019	26.83	286^th	370	22.7%
2021	28.74	210^th	270	22.2%
2022	39.43	194^th	312	37.8%
2023	18.68	344^th	393	12.5%
2024	20.69	338^th	389	13.1%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.90	10^th	12	16.7%
2024	47.67	6^th	9	33.3%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	24.67	326^th	395	17.5%
2019	13.25	357^th	401	11.0%
2021	10.96	317^th	339	6.5%
2022	16.08	339^th	388	12.6%
2023	13.82	358^th	396	9.6%
2024	9.01	374^th	403	7.2%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	15.83	352^nd	398	11.6%
2019	25.33	337^th	411	18.0%
2021	11.35	327^th	351	6.8%
2022	26.37	327^th	403	18.9%
2023	10.76	366^th	398	8.0%
2024	10.22	374^th	405	7.7%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High Schools for Male Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MN State Percentile
2018	41.58	11^th	14	21.4%
2019	35.83	10^th	15	33.3%
2021	36.55	7^th	11	36.4%
2022	56.97	7^th	16	56.3%
2023	20.53	32^nd	36	11.1%
2024	21.82	34^th	42	19.0%

See the entire list of Best Minnesota High 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.

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	133	0	0	0	207	n/a	n/a	340
1989	152	0	0	0	180	n/a	n/a	332
1990	133	0	0	0	162	n/a	n/a	295
1991	127	0	0	0	176	n/a	n/a	303
1992	110	0	0	0	166	n/a	n/a	276
1993	127	0	0	0	207	n/a	n/a	334
1994	137	0	0	0	213	n/a	n/a	350
1995	128	0	1	0	227	n/a	n/a	356
1996	128	0	1	0	227	n/a	n/a	356
1997	118	0	1	0	228	n/a	n/a	347
1998	125	0	2	0	272	n/a	n/a	399
1999	112	0	3	0	275	n/a	n/a	390
2000	94	0	3	1	279	n/a	n/a	377
2001	87	0	1	0	282	n/a	n/a	370
2002	44	0	1	0	174	n/a	n/a	219
2003	44	0	1	0	174	n/a	n/a	219
2004	71	0	0	1	152	n/a	n/a	224
2005	58	0	1	1	158	n/a	n/a	218
2006	46	0	0	0	185	n/a	n/a	231
2007	45	0	1	0	197	n/a	n/a	243
2008	40	0	2	0	176	n/a	n/a	218
2009	43	1	3	0	198	n/a	n/a	245
2010	38	3	4	0	177	n/a	n/a	222
2011	23	1	2	2	178	1	5	212
2012	23	1	1	1	161	1	7	195
2013	16	1	0	1	176	1	0	195
2014	18	2	0	0	181	0	0	201
2015	15	1	0	0	185	0	1	202
2016	14	0	0	1	203	0	4	222
2017	15	0	0	3	205	0	5	228
2018	18	0	0	5	207	0	7	237
2019	21	0	0	1	213	0	9	244
2020	26	0	0	1	220	0	1	248
2021	33	0	0	2	228	0	2	265
2022	31	0	0	2	256	0	4	293
2023	23	0	0	2	227	0	4	256

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 Secondary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	340	23.8	14.2	23.5
1989	332	22.9	14.4	27.7
1990	295	23.0	12.8	62.4
1991	303	22.7	13.3	60.4
1992	276	23.0	12.0	73.9
1993	334	21.3	15.7	57.8
1994	350	22.6	15.5	82.9
1995	356	26.0	13.7	68.8
1996	356	26.0	13.7	68.8
1997	347	24.6	14.1	94.8
1998	399	n/a	0.0	27.3
1999	390	34.4	11.3	41
2000	377	31.8	11.9	59.9
2001	370	30.6	12.1	46.5
2002	219	23.6	9.3	54.8
2003	219	23.6	9.3	54.8
2004	224	21.6	10.4	52.2
2005	218	20.7	10.5	58.3
2006	231	21.3	10.8	61.9
2007	243	21.3	11.4	65.8
2008	218	20.4	10.7	75.2
2009	245	20.7	11.8	69.8
2010	222	21.3	10.3	66.7
2011	212	20.4	10.3	66
2012	195	23.3	8.3	67.7
2013	195	20.3	9.5	77.4
2014	201	22.7	8.8	78.1
2015	202	22.0	9.1	72.3
2016	222	25.0	8.8	80.2
2017	228	26.6	8.5	76.8
2018	237	28.4	8.3	77.2
2019	244	27.1	8.9	71.7
2020	248	28.5	8.6	64.9
2021	265	25.7	10.2	52.8
2022	293	24.2	12.0	60.8
2023	256	23.4	10.9	77.3

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 Secondary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	340	23.8	14.2	23.5
1989	332	22.9	14.4	27.7
1990	295	23.0	12.8	62.4
1991	303	22.7	13.3	60.4
1992	276	23.0	12.0	73.9
1993	334	21.3	15.7	57.8
1994	350	22.6	15.5	82.9
1995	356	26.0	13.7	68.8
1996	356	26.0	13.7	68.8
1997	347	24.6	14.1	94.8
1998	399	n/a	0.0	27.3
1999	390	34.4	11.3	41
2000	377	31.8	11.9	59.9
2001	370	30.6	12.1	46.5
2002	219	23.6	9.3	54.8
2003	219	23.6	9.3	54.8
2004	224	21.6	10.4	52.2
2005	218	20.7	10.5	58.3
2006	231	21.3	10.8	61.9
2007	243	21.3	11.4	65.8
2008	218	20.4	10.7	75.2
2009	245	20.7	11.8	69.8
2010	222	21.3	10.3	66.7
2011	212	20.4	10.3	66
2012	195	23.3	8.3	67.7
2013	195	20.3	9.5	77.4
2014	201	22.7	8.8	78.1
2015	202	22.0	9.1	72.3
2016	222	25.0	8.8	80.2
2017	228	26.6	8.5	76.8
2018	237	28.4	8.3	77.2
2019	244	27.1	8.9	71.7
2020	248	28.5	8.6	64.9
2021	265	25.7	10.2	52.8
2022	293	24.2	12.0	60.8
2023	256	23.4	10.9	77.3

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 Secondary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$25,363

Data source: Minnesota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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 385^th of 492 High schools	Ranks 404^th of 476 High schools	6.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Secondary)	42.6	30.6	12%
10th Grade Reading (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)	32.8	26.4	6.4%
10th Grade Reading (Minnesota)	60.4	51.7	8.7%
11th Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Secondary)	19.6	6.7	12.9%
11th Grade Math (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)	15.9	5.3	10.7%
11th Grade Math (Minnesota)	45	36	9%
End of Course Science (Cass Lake-Bena Secondary)	27.7	15.6	12%
End of Course Science (Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools)	21.2	12.8	8.4%
End of Course Science (Minnesota)	54.4	41.8	12.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	244	256	4.9%
African American	0	0
American Indian	213	227	6.6%
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	1	2	100%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	21	23	9.5%
Two or More Races	9	4	55.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	71.7%	77.3%	5.6%

Schools Near Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MCA-III Math (2024)		MCA-III Reading (2024)		MCA-III Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	MCA-III Science End of Course	MCA-III Science All Grades	Total
Cass Lake-Bena Secondary	Public	9-12	15308 State 371 NW	Cass Lake	56633	Cass County	Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 335-2203	256	23	10.9	77.3%	23 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	227 (88.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	12	425^th of 480 public high schools	11.5%		14.9	404^th of 476 public high schools	15.1%	21	7.0	7.0	26.4	26.4	13.7	13.7	$25,363
Cass Lake-Bena Area Learning Cntr.	Public	7-12	208 Central Ave NW	Cass Lake	56633	Cass County	Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(218) 335-2204	99	8	12.0	86.9%	6 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (88.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.0%)	10.9	433^rd of 480 public high schools	9.8%		3.1	474^th of 476 public high schools	0.4%	41	0.0	0.0	18.2	10.0	21.4	16.7	$21,734
Laporte Secondary	Public	9-12	315 Main St W	Laporte	56461	Hubbard County	Laporte Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 224-2288	93	5	18.1	54.8%	73 (78.5%)	1 (1.1%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.7%)	36.2	330^th of 480 public high schools	31.3%		32.4	351^st of 476 public high schools	26.3%	21	4.0	4.0	40.7	40.7	40.7	40.7	$14,400
Lakeside Learning Center	Public	6-12	502 Minnesota Ave NW	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 333-3477	9	0	27.2	66.7%	2 (22.2%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$39,313
Voyageurs Expeditionary School	Public, Charter	9-12	3724 Bemidji Ave N	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Voyageurs Expeditionary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 444-3130	59	6	10.6	84.7%	19 (32.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (54.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (13.6%)	17.9	402^nd of 480 public high schools	16.3%		29.4	365^th of 476 public high schools	23.3%	37	20.0	20.0	23.1	23.1	8.3	8.3	$23,034
Oshki Manidoo Center	Public	7-12	1741 15th St NW	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 333-3478	4	0	12.1		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$15,198
Bemidji Area Learning Center	Public	5-12	2900 Division St W	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 333-3299	60	2	29.4	51.7%	38 (63.3%)	1 (1.7%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (26.7%)	3 (5.0%)	1 (1.7%)								(n/a)							$30,748
Bemidji Senior Lumberjack Alternative Learning Center	Public	9-12	2900 Division St W	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 444-1600	133	2	57.3	68.4%	76 (57.1%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (37.6%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.5%)	17.8	403^rd of 480 public high schools	16.0%		20.4	395^th of 476 public high schools	17.0%	8	8.3	8.3	35.0	35.0	15.8	15.8	$11,944
Bemidji Senior High	Public	9-12	2900 Division St W	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 444-1600	1,432	73	19.5	38.5%	1,080 (75.4%)	15 (1.0%)	29 (2.0%)	11 (0.8%)	260 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (2.6%)	50.6	255^th of 480 public high schools	46.9%		47.3	265^th of 476 public high schools	44.3%	10	31.6	31.6	41.6	41.6	39.2	39.2	$13,403
Treknorth High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2400 Pine Ridge Ave NW	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Treknorth High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 444-1888	145	7	19.3	56.6%	69 (47.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	64 (44.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.9%)	41.4	304^th of 480 public high schools	36.7%		51.6	244^th of 476 public high schools	48.7%	60	12.9	12.9	43.3	43.3	42.3	42.3	$16,188

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Cass Lake-Bena Secondary:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Rank History for all students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Rank History for Female students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Rank History for Male students at Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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

Enrollment information for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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

Student/Teacher Ratio Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Impact of COVID-19 on Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

Frequently Asked Questions about Cass Lake-Bena Secondary

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