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Wahpeton, North Dakota - 4 schools
An equity score of 51/100 ranks Wahpeton 37 #44 of 101 districts in North Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,498 per pupil, Wahpeton 37 ranks #107 of 168 North Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (North Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,201
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$15,498
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wahpeton 37 operates 4 public schools serving 1,201 students, placing it among the smallest districts in North Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined 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 Richland County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,498 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 168 North Dakota districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Dakota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.3% local, 51.7% state, and 19.9% 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 51/100, ranked #44 of 101 in North Dakota against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 304.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 21.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 76.5% White, 8.1% Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Zimmerman Elementary School, with a diversity index of 49.9/100.
Its largest campus is Wahpeton Elementary School, enrolling 469 students (38% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Zimmerman Elementary School, at 116 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wahpeton Elementary School accounts for 38.4% of all Wahpeton 37 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wahpeton 37-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Wahpeton 37 school enrollment varies 4.0× across entities
Wahpeton 37 school enrollment ranges from 116 students (lowest) to 469 students (highest), a spread of 353 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.
Wahpeton 37 student-counselor ratio is 305:1 — 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 Wahpeton 37 is typically wider than the Wahpeton 37-aggregate figure suggests.
Wahpeton 37 chronic absenteeism rate is 21.8% — 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 Wahpeton 37 is typically wider than the Wahpeton 37-aggregate figure suggests.