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 other, 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 7,551 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Clay County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $21,867 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 19.3% local, 64.8% state, and 15.9% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $96,994 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 57/100, ranked #153 of 417 in Minnesota against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 527.2:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 35.4% 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.
Horizon Middle School accounts for 28.6% of all Moorhead Area Public Schools student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Moorhead Area Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
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 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.
Moorhead Area Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 53.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Moorhead Area Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 527:1 — 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.
Moorhead Area Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 35.4% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Moorhead Area Public Schools?
Moorhead Area Public Schools has 11 schools, including 6 elementary, 1 high, 4 other. Total enrollment is 7,412 students.
How much does Moorhead Area Public Schools spend per student?
Moorhead Area Public Schools spends $21,867 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #153 in Minnesota.
What is the average teacher salary in Moorhead Area Public Schools?
The average teacher salary in Moorhead Area Public Schools is $96,994 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Moorhead Area Public Schools?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Clay County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
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 57/100, ranking #153 out of 417 districts in Minnesota. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.