Public schools in Wadena, MN
Wadena has 8 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 1,279 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Freshwater Education District runs 5 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Wadena's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Wadena | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Education District | 5 | 188 | not reported |
| Wadena-Deer Creek School District | 3 | 1,088 | $15,095 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Wadena, 582 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High | 470 | 19.8 | 30.0% | Wadena-Deer Creek |
| Freshwater Education District ALC | 101 | 9.7 | 53.5% | Freshwater Education District |
| White Pine Academy | 11 | 4.4 | 54.5% | Freshwater Education District |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One middle school in Wadena, 159 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade | 159 | 21.3 | 34.0% | Wadena-Deer Creek |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One elementary school in Wadena, 450 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary | 450 | 11.1 | 41.3% | Wadena-Deer Creek |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 other schools in Wadena, 88 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Special Education | 64 | 9.7 | 51.6% | Freshwater Education District |
| Leaf River Academy | 15 | 3.3 | 73.3% | Freshwater Education District |
| Elm Tree Academy | 9 | 6.3 | 66.7% | Freshwater Education District |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Wadena's public schools compare with Minnesota's
The median Wadena school has 9.7 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the Minnesota median of 13.7. 0% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 20% across the state. Its median school enrolls 83 students (state 275).
| Wadena | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 9.7 | 13.7 |
| Median school size (students) | 83 | 275 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 0% | 20% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 22% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 12% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 8 Wadena schools and the 2,321 Minnesota schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Wadena
- Freshwater Education DistrictRuns 5 of Wadena's 8 public schools.
- Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, the largest high school in Wadena470 students in 2024-25, 19.8 per teacher.470
- Compare Freshwater Education District with Wadena-Deer Creek School DistrictWadena's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in MinnesotaMinnesota's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Wadena addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Minnesota
- Saint Paul135 schools
- Minneapolis132 schools
- Rochester44 schools
- Duluth30 schools
- Brooklyn Park29 schools
- Plymouth27 schools
- Bloomington26 schools
- Apple Valley20 schools
Questions about schools in Wadena
How many public schools are in Wadena, MN?
8 public schools with an address in Wadena were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 1,279 students.What is the largest high school in Wadena?
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, with 470 students in 2024-25 (Wadena-Deer Creek School District).Which districts run Wadena's schools?
Freshwater Education District (5 schools), Wadena-Deer Creek School District (3 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25