Wadena-Deer Creek School District

Public school district · Wadena County · Minnesota · NCES district ID 2700022

Wadena-Deer Creek School District spent $15,095 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 73% of the other Minnesota districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,091). Its 3 schools enrolled 1,079 students in 2024-25; 69.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,152 per student, up 0.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 80-84% (Minnesota: 83.3%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Minnesota districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Wadena-Deer Creek in enrollment (1,066 to 1,107 students) and Wadena-Deer Creek itself.

Current spending per student, Minnesota districts closest in size to Wadena-Deer Creek, FY23Wadena-Deer Creek $15,095; Pipestone Area Schools $14,158; Jackson County Central School Dist. $13,939; St. James $13,649; Morris Area Public Schools $13,637; Blue Earth Area $13,462; Warroad Public Schools $13,097; Sibley East Public Schools $12,672; Holdingford Public Schools $11,712; Dover-Eyota Public Schools $11,637; State median, 1,000+ students $14,091.10k12k14k16kWadena-Deer Creek$15,095Pipestone Area Schools$14,158Jackson County Central School …$13,939St. James$13,649Morris Area Public Schools$13,637Blue Earth Area$13,462Warroad Public Schools$13,097Sibley East Public Schools$12,672Holdingford Public Schools$11,712Dover-Eyota Public Schools$11,637State median, 1,000+ students $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts closest in size to Wadena-Deer Creek, FY23Wadena-Deer Creek $15,095; Pipestone Area Schools $14,158; Jackson County Central School Dist. $13,939; St. James $13,649; Morris Area Public Schools $13,637; Blue Earth Area $13,462; Warroad Public Schools $13,097; Sibley East Public Schools $12,672; Holdingford Public Schools $11,712; Dover-Eyota Public Schools $11,637; State median, 1,000+ students $14,091.10k12k14k16kWadena-Deer Creek$15,095Pipestone Area Schools$14,158Jackson County Central School Dist.$13,939St. James$13,649Morris Area Public Schools$13,637Blue Earth Area$13,462Warroad Public Schools$13,097Sibley East Public Schools$12,672Holdingford Public Schools$11,712Dover-Eyota Public Schools$11,637State median, 1,000+ students $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts closest in size to Wadena-Deer Creek, FY23Wadena-Deer Creek $15,095; Pipestone Area Schools $14,158; Jackson County Central School Dist. $13,939; St. James $13,649; Morris Area Public Schools $13,637; Blue Earth Area $13,462; Warroad Public Schools $13,097; Sibley East Public Schools $12,672; Holdingford Public Schools $11,712; Dover-Eyota Public Schools $11,637; State median, 1,000+ students $14,091.10k12k14k16kWadena-Deer Creek$15,095Pipestone Area Schools$14,158Jackson County Central School Dist.$13,939St. James$13,649Morris Area Public Schools$13,637Blue Earth Area$13,462Warroad Public Schools$13,097Sibley East Public Schools$12,672Holdingford Public Schools$11,712Dover-Eyota Public Schools$11,637State median, 1,000+ students $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts closest in size to Wadena-Deer Creek, FY23Wadena-Deer Creek $15,095; Pipestone Area Schools $14,158; Jackson County Central School Dist. $13,939; St. James $13,649; Morris Area Public Schools $13,637; Blue Earth Area $13,462; Warroad Public Schools $13,097; Sibley East Public Schools $12,672; Holdingford Public Schools $11,712; Dover-Eyota Public Schools $11,637; State median, 1,000+ students $14,091.10k12k14k16kWadena-Deer Creek$15,095Pipestone Area Schools$14,158Jackson County Central School Dist.$13,939St. James$13,649Morris Area Public Schools$13,637Blue Earth Area$13,462Warroad Public Schools$13,097Sibley East Public Schools$12,672Holdingford Public Schools$11,712Dover-Eyota Public Schools$11,637State median, 1,000+ students $14,091

Where the money came from

$18,003,000 in revenue: 69.8% state, 17.9% local and 12.3% federal. Total spending including $1,067,000 of capital outlay was $19,381,000, or $17,813 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Wadena-Deer Creek School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $12,571,000; Local $3,218,000; Federal $2,214,000; total $18,003,000.
  • State$12,571,000 70%
  • Local$3,218,000 18%
  • Federal$2,214,000 12%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 163 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment held steady from 2022-23 to 2024-25

1,088 students in 2022-23, 1,112 students in 2023-24, 1,079 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Wadena-Deer Creek School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,088, 2023-24: 1,112, 2024-25: 1,07905001k1.5k2022-231,0882023-241,1122024-251,079
Wadena-Deer Creek School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,088, 2023-24: 1,112, 2024-25: 1,07905001k1.5k2022-231,0882023-241,1122024-251,079
Wadena-Deer Creek School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,088, 2023-24: 1,112, 2024-25: 1,07905001k1.5k2022-231,0882023-241,1122024-251,079
Wadena-Deer Creek School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,088, 2023-24: 1,112, 2024-25: 1,07905001k1.5k2022-231,0882023-241,1122024-251,079

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,08863.917.0
2023-241,11266.416.7
2024-251,07971.715.1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$5,131,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,716 per student

Wadena-Deer Creek School District booked $5,131,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 67 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $76,049 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 84 in 100 Minnesota districts with a figure (state median $62,418, 464 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Minnesota teacher salary at $68,491 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$3,935,00076.7%
Special education$795,00015.5%
Vocational$273,0005.3%
Other programs$128,0002.5%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,878 in 2018-19, $4,068 in 2019-20, $4,411 in 2020-21, $4,670 in 2021-22, $4,716 in 2022-23.

Wadena-Deer Creek School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,878, 2019-20: $4,068, 2020-21: $4,411, 2021-22: $4,670, 2022-23: $4,71602k4k6k2018-19$3,8782019-20$4,0682020-21$4,4112021-22$4,6702022-23$4,716
Wadena-Deer Creek School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,878, 2019-20: $4,068, 2020-21: $4,411, 2021-22: $4,670, 2022-23: $4,71602k4k6k2018-19$3,8782019-20$4,0682020-21$4,4112021-22$4,6702022-23$4,716
Wadena-Deer Creek School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,878, 2019-20: $4,068, 2020-21: $4,411, 2021-22: $4,670, 2022-23: $4,71602k4k6k2018-19$3,8782019-20$4,0682020-21$4,4112021-22$4,6702022-23$4,716
Wadena-Deer Creek School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,878, 2019-20: $4,068, 2020-21: $4,411, 2021-22: $4,670, 2022-23: $4,71602k4k6k2018-19$3,8782019-20$4,0682020-21$4,4112021-22$4,6702022-23$4,716

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Wadena-Deer Creek School District scored proficient or above: 46% in reading and 33% in math, against 51.1% in reading and 44.8% in math across Minnesota. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Minnesota, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMinnesotaStudents tested
Reading and language arts46%51.1%530
Math33%44.8%527

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

80-84% of the 77 students in Wadena-Deer Creek School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 83.3% across Minnesota. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMinnesota
Four-year graduation rate80‑84%83.3%
Students in the class7769,945

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

1 elementary school, 450 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary45011.141.3%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 159 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade15921.334.0%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 470 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High47019.830.0%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Wadena-Deer Creek School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Wadena-Deer Creek School District

  1. Minnesota districts by spending per studentWadena-Deer Creek School District ranks 45 of 163 Minnesota districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,095).#45 of 163
  2. Every school district in MinnesotaWadena-Deer Creek School District is the number 149 by size of 543 Minnesota districts, with 1,088 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#149 of 543
  3. Dover-Eyota Public SchoolsThe next larger Minnesota district: 1,098 students in fall 2022, $11,637 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,637
  4. Holdingford Public SchoolsThe next smaller Minnesota district: 1,082 students in fall 2022, $11,712 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,712
  5. Compare Wadena-Deer Creek School District with Dover-Eyota Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, its largest high school470 students in 2024-25, 19.8 per teacher.470
  7. Teacher salary spending across MinnesotaWadena-Deer Creek School District spent $76,049 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,418); spending, not a salary.$76,049
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Wadena-Deer Creek School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
    3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 1,079 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Wadena-Deer Creek School District spend per student?
    $15,095 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Minnesota median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,091 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $15,152 per student, up 0.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Wadena-Deer Creek School District's money come from?
    $18,003,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 69.8% state, 17.9% local and 12.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Wadena-Deer Creek School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 267 of the 1,647 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 16.2%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Wadena-Deer Creek School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $5,131,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,716 per student. Divided by the 67 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $76,049 per teacher, more than 84 in 100 Minnesota districts (state median $62,418). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Minnesota teacher salary at $68,491 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Wadena-Deer Creek School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Wadena-Deer Creek School District scored proficient or above: 46% in reading and 33% in math, against 51.1% in reading and 44.8% in math across Minnesota. Minnesota's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
    80-84% of the 77 students in Wadena-Deer Creek School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 83.3% across Minnesota. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Wadena-Deer Creek School District's NCES district ID?
    2700022. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .