Hawley Public School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Hawley, Minnesota - 3 schools

An equity score of 20/100 ranks Hawley Public School District #391 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $11,402 per pupil, Hawley Public School District ranks #467 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,048
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$11,402
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Hawley Public School District operates 3 public schools serving 1,048 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Clay County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,402 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 51 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 23.6% local, 68.6% state, and 7.8% 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 20/100, ranked #391 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 402.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 11.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.2% White, 2.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hawley Elementary, with a diversity index of 10.9/100.

Its largest campus is Hawley Elementary, enrolling 579 students (55% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Spring Prairie Elementary, at 26 students, a 22x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Hawley Elementary accounts for 54.7% of all Hawley Public School District student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Hawley Public School District a distant remainder — means Hawley Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Hawley Public School District school enrollment varies 22× across entities

Hawley Public School District school enrollment ranges from 26 students (lowest) to 579 students (highest), a spread of 553 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Hawley Public School District student-counselor ratio is 403:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Hawley Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 11.5% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

7.8%
Federal
68.6%
State
23.6%
Local

Funding Equity

20
Equity Score
391 / 410
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Hawley Public School District.

White 96.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Multiracial 1.4%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 7.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Hawley Public School District's schools, below the Minnesota average of 42.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Hawley Elementary 10.9
  2. 2 Hawley Secondary 10.9
  3. 3 Spring Prairie Elementary 0.0

Programs & Resources

1 / 3
Schools with AP
3 AP courses total
402.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
11.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Hawley Public School District

School Enrollment
Hawley Elementary
579
Hawley Secondary
453
Spring Prairie Elementary
26

How Hawley Public School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Higher Ground Academy Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
Cannon Falls Public School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Greenway Public School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Blue Earth Area School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Nova Classical Academy Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Hawley 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.

Anoka-Hennepin School District
38,590 students · 52 schools · $14,265/pupil
Compare vs Hawley Public School District →
Saint Paul Public Schools
32,316 students · 99 schools · $20,457/pupil
Compare vs Hawley Public School District →
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
29,221 students · 41 schools · $14,314/pupil
Compare vs Hawley Public School District →
Osseo Public School District
20,737 students · 33 schools · $15,525/pupil
Compare vs Hawley Public School District →

Compare Hawley Public School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Anoka-Hennepin School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Hawley Public School District?

Hawley Public School District has 3 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,048 students.

How much does Hawley Public School District spend per student?

Hawley Public School District spends $11,402 per student. The district has an equity score of 20/100, ranking #391 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Hawley Public School District?

Hawley Public School District students are 96.2% White, 2.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Hawley Public School District?

Hawley Public School District has an equity score of 20/100, ranking #391 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.