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Perham, Minnesota - 4 schools
An equity score of 28/100 ranks Perham-Dent Public School District #355 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,394 per pupil, Perham-Dent Public School District ranks #328 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,632
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$13,394
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Perham-Dent Public School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,632 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 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 Otter Tail County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,394 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.9% local, 60.6% state, and 11.6% 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 28/100, ranked #355 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.
a 424.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 78.5% White, 11.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Perham Area Learning Center, with a diversity index of 46.0/100.
Its largest campus is Heart of the Lake Elementary, enrolling 578 students (35% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Perham Area Learning Center, at 38 students, a 15x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Heart of the Lake Elementary accounts for 34.6% of all Perham-Dent Public School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Perham-Dent 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.
Perham-Dent Public School District school enrollment varies 15× across entities
Perham-Dent Public School District school enrollment ranges from 38 students (lowest) to 578 students (highest), a spread of 540 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.
Perham-Dent Public School District student-counselor ratio is 425:1 — 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.
Perham-Dent Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 34.2% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Perham-Dent 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.
How many schools are in Perham-Dent Public School District?
Perham-Dent Public School District has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,632 students.
How much does Perham-Dent Public School District spend per student?
Perham-Dent Public School District spends $13,394 per student. The district has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #355 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Perham-Dent Public School District?
Perham-Dent Public School District students are 78.5% White, 11.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Perham-Dent Public School District?
Perham-Dent Public School District has an equity score of 28/100, ranking #355 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.