St. Cloud Sun

There were 60 American Indian students enrolled in Benton County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 11.8% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Benton County welcomed 6,570 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 0.9% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 10 schools in the county, Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 12.

According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Minnesota's fourth graders scored 241 in math, just above the national average of 237. Their reading score of 216 was on par with the U.S. average, but shows a slight decline over recent years. Eighth graders scored 284 in math and 264 in reading, both above the national averages. 

However, despite these results, both grade levels remain below pre-pandemic levels in math and reading.

As of 2024, according to Public School Review, the student-to-teacher ratio in Minnesota's public schools stands at 1:16, slightly worse than the national average of 1:15. This is part of a larger framework within Minnesota's educational system, which is the 10th largest in the United States, accommodating over 869,000 students across 2,709 public schools.

School Name	No. of American Indian Students	% of American Indian Students	Total School Enrollment
Lincoln Elementary School	6	2%	295
ALC - Sauk Rapids	1	1.5%	66
Pleasantview Elementary School	9	1.3%	722
Mississippi Heights Elementary School	10	1.2%	817
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High School	12	0.9%	1,317
Foley Senior High School	5	0.8%	603
Foley Intermediate Elementary School	6	0.8%	743
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School	7	0.7%	1,067
Rice Elementary School	2	0.6%	361
Foley Elementary School	2	0.4%	579