Moorhead Area Public Schools

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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Moorhead, Minnesota - 11 schools

An equity score of 65/100 ranks Moorhead Area Public Schools #98 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,570 per pupil, Moorhead Area Public Schools ranks #273 of 509 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

7,412
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$14,570
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Moorhead Area Public Schools operates 11 public schools serving 7,412 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 4 combined, 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 Clay County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,570 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 509 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.3% local, 64.8% state, and 15.9% 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 65/100, ranked #98 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 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 527.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 24.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.7% White, 15.9% African American, 14.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is West Central Academy-N, with a diversity index of 78.8/100.

Its largest campus is Horizon Middle School, enrolling 2,158 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is West Central Academy-N, at 16 students, a 135x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Horizon Middle School accounts for 28.6% of all Moorhead Area Public Schools student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Moorhead Area Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: elementary. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Moorhead Area Public Schools school enrollment varies 135× across entities

Moorhead Area Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 16 students (lowest) to 2,158 students (highest), a spread of 2,142 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Moorhead Area Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 527:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Moorhead Area Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 24.6% — 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 Moorhead Area Public Schools is typically wider than the Moorhead Area Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

15.9%
Federal
64.8%
State
19.3%
Local

Funding Equity

65
Equity Score
98 / 410
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 11 schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools.

White 54.7%
Hispanic or Latino 14.7%
African American 15.9%
Asian 0.9%
Multiracial 6.6%
Other 7.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 60.9/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Moorhead Area Public Schools's schools, above the Minnesota average of 42.8.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 West Central Academy-N 78.8
  2. 2 West Central Academy-S 74.6
  3. 3 Moorhead Alc 73.1
  4. 4 Ellen Hopkins Elementary 68.5
  5. 5 Probstfield Center for Education 61.3

Programs & Resources

1 / 11
Schools with AP
11 AP courses total
527.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
24.6%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Moorhead Area Public Schools

School Enrollment
Horizon Middle School
2,158
Moorhead High School
2,122
S.G. Reinertsen Elementary
719
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School
625
Ellen Hopkins Elementary
616
Robert Asp Elementary
580
Probstfield Elementary
290
Probstfield Center for Education
253
Moorhead Alc
138
West Central Academy-S
34
West Central Academy-N
16

How Moorhead Area Public Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Roseville Public School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Shakopee Public School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Hopkins Public School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Farmington Public School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Moorhead Area Public Schools'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 · $15,130/pupil
Compare vs Moorhead Area Public Schools →
Saint Paul Public Schools
32,316 students · 99 schools · $21,634/pupil
Compare vs Moorhead Area Public Schools →
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
29,221 students · 41 schools · $15,334/pupil
Compare vs Moorhead Area Public Schools →
Osseo Public School District
20,737 students · 33 schools · $16,345/pupil
Compare vs Moorhead Area Public Schools →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Moorhead Area Public Schools

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 Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Moorhead Area Public Schools has 11 schools, including 6 elementary, 1 high, 4 combined. Total enrollment is 7,412 students.

How much does Moorhead Area Public Schools spend per student?

Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $14,570 per student. The district has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #98 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Moorhead Area Public Schools students are 54.7% White, 15.9% African American, 14.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Moorhead Area Public Schools?

Moorhead Area Public Schools has an equity score of 65/100, ranking #98 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.