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Thief River Falls, Minnesota - 4 schools
An equity score of 34/100 ranks Thief River Falls School District #313 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,756 per pupil, Thief River Falls School District ranks #366 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,806
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$12,756
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Thief River Falls School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,806 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 combined, 1 middle 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 Pennington County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,756 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 23.9% local, 63.2% state, and 12.9% 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 34/100, ranked #313 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 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 254.7:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 33.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.9% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Northwest Area Learning Center, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
Its largest campus is Challenger Elementary, enrolling 727 students (42% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Northwest Area Learning Center, at 23 students, a 32x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Challenger Elementary accounts for 40.3% of all Thief River Falls School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Thief River Falls 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.
Thief River Falls School District school enrollment varies 32× across entities
Thief River Falls School District school enrollment ranges from 23 students (lowest) to 727 students (highest), a spread of 704 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.
Thief River Falls School District student-counselor ratio is 255:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Thief River Falls School District is typically wider than the Thief River Falls School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Thief River Falls School District chronic absenteeism rate is 33.3% — 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 Thief River Falls 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 Thief River Falls School District?
Thief River Falls School District has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 2 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,806 students.
How much does Thief River Falls School District spend per student?
Thief River Falls School District spends $12,756 per student. The district has an equity score of 34/100, ranking #313 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Thief River Falls School District?
Thief River Falls School District students are 76.9% White, 10.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Thief River Falls School District?
Thief River Falls School District has an equity score of 34/100, ranking #313 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.