St. Cloud Sun

There were 6,581 students enrolled in Benton County schools in the 2024-25 school year, 0.2% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Minnesota Department of Education.

In terms of gender distribution, the student body in Benton County comprised 50.6% boys, with girls representing the remaining 49.4%.

Data also showed that white students made up 82.1% of the student body, the largest percentage in Benton County schools, followed by multiracial students with 5.7%, 5.6% Black students, 4.4% Hispanic students, 1% American Indian students, 0.9% Asian students, 0.1% Other Indigenous Peoples students and 0.1% Hawaiian Pacific Islander students.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High had the highest enrollment among Benton County's 10 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,319 students.

With more than 870,000 students enrolled, Minnesota's public school system is the 10th-largest in the United States. As of 2025 the student-to-teacher ratio in the state’s public schools is 15 to 1, on par with the national average. 

School name	Total enrollment in 2023-24	Total enrollment in 2024-25	% change
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High	1,317	1,319	0.2%
Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School	1,067	1,055	-1.1%
Mississippi Heights Elementary	817	808	-1.1%
Foley Intermediate Elementary	743	781	5.1%
Pleasantview Elementary	722	734	1.7%
Foley Senior High	603	588	-2.5%
Foley Elementary	579	552	-4.7%
Rice Elementary	361	357	-1.1%
Lincoln Elementary	295	328	11.2%
ALC - Sauk Rapids	66	59	-10.6%