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Wadena, Minnesota - 3 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Wadena-Deer Creek School District #176 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,549 per pupil, Wadena-Deer Creek School District ranks #213 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,088
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$14,549
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wadena-Deer Creek School District operates 3 public schools serving 1,088 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 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 Wadena County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,549 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending. See how Minnesota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 18.1% local, 66.9% state, and 15.1% 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 53/100, ranked #176 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 359.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.1% White, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade, with a diversity index of 26.2/100.
Its largest campus is Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, enrolling 470 students (44% of the district's total enrollment).
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High accounts for 43.2% of all Wadena-Deer Creek School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wadena-Deer Creek 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.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District school enrollment varies 3.0× across entities
Wadena-Deer Creek School District school enrollment ranges from 159 students (lowest) to 470 students (highest), a spread of 311 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District student-counselor ratio is 360:1 — 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.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District chronic absenteeism rate is 23.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Wadena-Deer Creek School District is typically wider than the Wadena-Deer Creek School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Wadena-Deer Creek 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 Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
Wadena-Deer Creek School District has 3 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,088 students.
How much does Wadena-Deer Creek School District spend per student?
Wadena-Deer Creek School District spends $14,549 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #176 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
Wadena-Deer Creek School District students are 86.1% White, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
Wadena-Deer Creek School District has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #176 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.