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Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

768^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 869 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary is a PK–5 school serving about 450 students in Cass Lake, a small community in north-central Minnesota, and it is part of Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools. The school ranks 768th of 869 Minnesota schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 12th percentile with 1 star, while the district ranks 425th of 458 with 0 stars. About 85.33% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, among the highest rates of nearby schools, and the student-teacher ratio was 10.1 — lower than most neighbors, including W.H.A. Elementary, Northern Elementary, Gene Dillon Elementary School, J.W. Smith Elementary, Horace May Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary.

On 2025–2026 all-grades tests, 23.2% of students were proficient in math, 27.5% in reading, and 8.6% in science, compared with state rates of 44.9%, 48.6%, and 25.5%. The school outperforms its own district in all three subjects but trails the state by roughly 17 to 22 points. It is not the lowest performer locally: it beats J.W. Smith Elementary in math and reading and Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn in all three reported subjects. Still, it trails W.H.A. Elementary, Laporte Elementary, Gene Dillon Elementary School, Northern Elementary, Horace May Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary by wide margins.

The sharpest concerns are grade-level and subgroup results. Fifth-grade math proficiency is 9.8% versus the state's 41.9%, and fifth-grade science is 8.6% versus 25.9%; by comparison, Gene Dillon Elementary School scored 41.1% in fifth-grade math and 29.2% in fifth-grade science. Math proficiency overall fell from 38.79% in 2023–2024 to 23.2% in 2025–2026. For Native American students, the school's effectiveness ranking is the 44th percentile with 2 stars — well above its overall 12th percentile, though down from the 64th percentile two years earlier. Special education effectiveness fell from the 49th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 10th and then the 2nd.

450

Students ?

10.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,545

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Minnesota receive free school meals.

96.2%

Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.3% (MMR)

15271 61st Ave NW
Cass Lake, MN 56633-0004

(218) 335-2201

District: Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools

Students who attend Cass Lake-Bena Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

94.4%

White:

2.0%

Hispanic:

1.8%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Cass Lake-Bena Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (23% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Math scores 22 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg16%

Minnesota avg43%

768^th of 869

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

425^th of 458Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	768 of 869	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	725 of 872	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	699 of 881	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	745 of 845	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	764 of 858	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	725 of 869	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	748 of 870	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	732 of 847	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.9	717 of 853	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.2	728 of 848	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.3	733 of 840	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.0	767 of 826	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	16.2	732 of 824	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.2	676 of 820	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.7	733 of 814	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	12.8	731 of 803	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.0	401 of 434	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	30.3	651 of 781	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.1	625 of 777	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.3	664 of 756	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	11.7	715 of 790	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.8	650 of 799	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	667 of 809	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	716 of 787	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.7	729 of 799	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	654 of 783	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	676 of 787	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	654 of 774	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	611 of 764	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.4	569 of 764	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.2	518 of 793	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.0	643 of 774	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	533 of 663	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.3	465 of 683	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	577 of 740	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.9	532 of 728	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	705 of 807	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.3	707 of 812	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	653 of 826	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	697 of 799	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	724 of 808	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	673 of 784	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	696 of 798	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	693 of 779	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2022	19.6	72 of 87	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.9	26 of 45	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	22 of 39	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.3	19 of 38	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.4	15 of 42	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.9	21 of 39	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	16 of 21	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.0	13 of 20	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	12 of 26	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.2	8 of 22	63.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2026	11.0	568 of 579	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	503 of 562	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.5	290 of 572	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	390 of 524	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	469 of 500	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	428 of 515	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	410 of 463	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Native American (2026)44th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)17th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2026)9th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)2nd percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2025-2026) ?

Reading28%-21 vs state

Math23%-22 vs state

Science9%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)							MCA-IV Science (2026)			MCA-III Math (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Cass Lake-Bena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15271 61st Ave NW	Cass Lake	56633	Cass County	Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 335-2201	450	45	10.1	85.3%	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	425 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	13.1	768^th of 869 public elementary schools	11.6%		18.2	725^th of 872 public elementary schools	16.9%	43	23.3	28.9	30.5				27.5	8.6		8.6	27.6	31.1	9.8				23.2	96.2%	1.3%	$19,545
Horace May Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	4415 Washington Ave SW	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 333-3240	300	25	11.8	41.3%	229 (76.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.7%)								(n/a)	44.9						44.9				66.7						66.7	82.9%	3.9%	$13,193
Lincoln Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1617 5th St NE	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 333-3250	320	23	13.7	45.9%	209 (65.3%)	5 (1.6%)	4 (1.3%)	4 (1.3%)	88 (27.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)								(n/a)	51.3						51.3				68.4						68.4	87.3%	1.8%	$13,118
Laporte Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	315 Main St W	Laporte	56461	Hubbard County	Laporte Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 224-2288	146	18	8.2	59.6%	109 (74.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (17.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.5%)	36.6	588^th of 869 public elementary schools	32.3%		20.5	711^th of 872 public elementary schools	18.5%	123	22.2	26.7	50.0				36.9	15.6		15.6	61.1	66.7	25.0				44.6	81.8%	9.1%	$13,157
J.W. Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1712 America Ave	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 333-3290	238	20	11.6	82.4%	55 (23.1%)	5 (2.1%)	7 (2.9%)	4 (1.7%)	151 (63.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.7%)								(n/a)	18.5						18.5				18.5						18.5	87.8%	4.1%	$14,468
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn	Public, Charter	K-8	3604 Bemidji Ave N	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn	Yes	No	No	Yes	(218) 444-3077	133	13	9.8	54.9%	56 (42.1%)	4 (3.0%)	5 (3.8%)	2 (1.5%)	62 (46.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	5.3	836^th of 869 public elementary schools	3.8%		14.8	751^st of 872 public elementary schools	13.9%	85		28.6	13.0	21.4	28.6		23.9	0.0		6.7	0.0	13.6	0.0	0.0	30.8		9.1
Gene Dillon Elementary School	Public	4-5	3795 Division St W	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 333-3100	667	45	14.7	43.8%	440 (66.0%)	9 (1.3%)	20 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	179 (26.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.5%)	57.1	382^nd of 869 public elementary schools	56.0%		49.2	481^st of 872 public elementary schools	44.8%	99		45.2	57.4				51.2	29.2		29.2		52.6	41.1				46.9			$10,964
Northern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	8711 Irvine Ave NW	Bemidji	56601	Beltrami County	Bemidji Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 333-3260	282	20	14.2	34.4%	218 (77.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)								(n/a)	44.1						44.1				54.4						54.4	86.2%	7.7%	$12,118
W.H.A. Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	301 4th St.	Walker	56484	Cass County	Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 547-1311	369	33	11.0	61.8%	198 (53.7%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	5 (1.4%)	101 (27.4%)	3 (0.8%)	49 (13.3%)	32.6	622^nd of 869 public elementary schools	28.4%		31.4	632^nd of 872 public elementary schools	27.5%	10	22.9	43.8	37.7	44.9			38.4	15.1		15.1	41.7	45.8	30.8	26.5			35.7	82.8%	6.9%	$13,346

Frequently Asked Questions about Cass Lake-Bena Elementary

How many students attend Cass Lake-Bena Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 450 students attended Cass Lake-Bena Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cass Lake-Bena Elementary attend?

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

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

What district is Cass Lake-Bena Elementary in?

Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools

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

Students at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary are 94% American Indian, 2% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Cass Lake-Bena Elementary a good school?

Cass Lake-Bena Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.6% of Minnesota elementary schools.

Rate Cass Lake-Bena Elementary!

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2019–20 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 MCA-III & MCA-IV test scoresSep 30, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

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.