Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Barrett, Minnesota - 4 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks West Central Area #100 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,876 per pupil, West Central Area ranks #189 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
779
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,876
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
West Central Area operates 4 public schools serving 779 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high 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 Grant County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,876 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 22.6% local, 66.0% state, and 11.4% 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 64/100, ranked #100 of 410 in Minnesota against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 229:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 18.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.5% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is West Central Area N. El., with a diversity index of 25.2/100.
Its largest campus is Wca Middle School, enrolling 232 students (31% of the district's total enrollment).
Wca Middle School accounts for 29.8% of all West Central Area student enrollment
That dominant concentration means West Central Area-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.
West Central Area student-counselor ratio is 229:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
West Central Area chronic absenteeism rate is 18.8% — 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 West Central Area is typically wider than the West Central Area-aggregate figure suggests.
West Central Area has 4 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 779 students.
How much does West Central Area spend per student?
West Central Area spends $14,876 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #100 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of West Central Area?
West Central Area students are 89.5% White, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for West Central Area?
West Central Area has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #100 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.