Onamia 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.

Onamia, Minnesota - 5 schools

An equity score of 89/100 ranks Onamia Public School District #16 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $20,656 per pupil, Onamia Public School District ranks #36 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

564
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$20,656
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Onamia Public School District operates 5 public schools serving 564 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 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 Mille Lacs County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,656 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 51 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.7% local, 54.6% state, and 28.7% 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 89/100, ranked #16 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.

a 224:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 63.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 42.3% White, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Onamia Primary School, with a diversity index of 65.8/100.

Its largest campus is Onamia High School, enrolling 224 students (41% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Kokesh Area Learning Center, at 28 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Onamia High School accounts for 39.7% of all Onamia Public School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Onamia 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

Onamia Public School District school enrollment varies 8.0× across entities

Onamia Public School District school enrollment ranges from 28 students (lowest) to 224 students (highest), a spread of 196 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. 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

Onamia Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 73.4% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Onamia Public School District student-counselor ratio is 224:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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

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

Onamia Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 63.5% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 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 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

28.7%
Federal
54.6%
State
16.7%
Local

Funding Equity

89
Equity Score
16 / 410
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 5 schools in Onamia Public School District.

White 42.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
African American 1.9%
Multiracial 12.1%
Other 38.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 58.9/100

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

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Onamia Primary School 65.8
  2. 2 Onamia High School 61.8
  3. 3 Kokesh Area Learning Center 61.7
  4. 4 Onamia Elementary School 60.7
  5. 5 Onamia Academy 44.6

Programs & Resources

224:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
63.5%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Onamia Public School District

School Enrollment
Onamia High School
224
Onamia Elementary School
131
Onamia Primary School
130
Onamia Academy
36
Kokesh Area Learning Center
28

How Onamia Public School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Minnesota districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Underwood Public School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Browerville Public School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Adrian Public School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Noble Academy Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Dawson-Boyd Public School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Onamia 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 Onamia Public School District →
Saint Paul Public Schools
32,316 students · 99 schools · $20,457/pupil
Compare vs Onamia Public School District →
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan
29,221 students · 41 schools · $14,314/pupil
Compare vs Onamia Public School District →
Osseo Public School District
20,737 students · 33 schools · $15,525/pupil
Compare vs Onamia Public School District →

Compare Onamia 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 Onamia Public School District?

Onamia Public School District has 5 schools, including 4 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 564 students.

How much does Onamia Public School District spend per student?

Onamia Public School District spends $20,656 per student. The district has an equity score of 89/100, ranking #16 in Minnesota.

What is the demographic composition of Onamia Public School District?

Onamia Public School District students are 42.3% White, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.9% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Onamia Public School District?

Onamia Public School District has an equity score of 89/100, ranking #16 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.