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Brainerd, Minnesota - 12 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Brainerd Public School District #133 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,387 per pupil, Brainerd Public School District ranks #229 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,232
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$14,387
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Brainerd Public School District operates 12 public schools serving 6,232 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 5 elementary, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Crow Wing County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,387 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.0% local, 59.2% state, and 11.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 59/100, ranked #133 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 12 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 436.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 85.4% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lincoln Education Center, with a diversity index of 42.7/100.
Its largest campus is Brainerd Senior High, enrolling 1,805 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Middle Level Alternative Program, at 14 students, a 129x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Brainerd Senior High accounts for 29.0% of all Brainerd Public School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Brainerd Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Brainerd Public School District school enrollment varies 129× across entities
Brainerd Public School District school enrollment ranges from 14 students (lowest) to 1,805 students (highest), a spread of 1,791 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Brainerd Public School District student-counselor ratio is 437:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Brainerd Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 27.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Brainerd Public School District is typically wider than the Brainerd Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Brainerd Public School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Minnesota
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Brainerd Public School District?
Brainerd Public School District has 12 schools, including 1 high, 5 elementary, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 6,232 students.
How much does Brainerd Public School District spend per student?
Brainerd Public School District spends $14,387 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #133 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Brainerd Public School District?
Brainerd Public School District students are 85.4% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Brainerd Public School District?
Brainerd Public School District has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #133 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.