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Detroit Lakes, Minnesota - 8 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. #155 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,230 per pupil, Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. ranks #251 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,775
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$14,230
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. operates 8 public schools serving 2,775 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 high, 3 combined, 1 middle 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 Becker County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,230 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 24.0% local, 65.1% state, and 11.0% 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 56/100, ranked #155 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 351.2:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 26.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.4% White, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Detroit Lakes Area Learning Center, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
Its largest campus is Detroit Lakes Senior High, enrolling 791 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Laker Transitions, at 17 students, a 47x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Detroit Lakes Senior High accounts for 28.5% of all Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.-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.
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. school enrollment varies 47× across entities
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. school enrollment ranges from 17 students (lowest) to 791 students (highest), a spread of 774 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. student-counselor ratio is 351:1 — 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.
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. chronic absenteeism rate is 26.1% — 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 Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. is typically wider than the Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.'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 Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.?
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. has 8 schools, including 4 high, 1 middle, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 2,775 students.
How much does Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. spend per student?
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. spends $14,230 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #155 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.?
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. students are 74.4% White, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Detroit Lakes Public School Dist.?
Detroit Lakes Public School Dist. has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #155 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.