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Willmar, Minnesota - 11 schools
An equity score of 80/100 ranks Willmar Public School District #31 of 410 districts in Minnesota (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,812 per pupil, Willmar Public School District ranks #194 of 504 Minnesota districts by per-pupil spending (Minnesota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,279
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$14,812
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Willmar Public School District operates 11 public schools serving 4,279 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Minnesota. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kandiyohi County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,812 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 15.4% local, 72.1% state, and 12.4% 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 80/100, ranked #31 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 300.2:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 36.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.2% Hispanic or Latino, 31.6% White, 13.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lakeview School, with a diversity index of 72.7/100.
Its largest campus is Willmar Senior High, enrolling 1,205 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Lakeview School, at 11 students, a 110x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Willmar Senior High accounts for 28.2% of all Willmar Public School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Willmar Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Willmar Public School District school enrollment varies 110× across entities
Willmar Public School District school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 1,205 students (highest), a spread of 1,194 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Willmar Public School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Willmar Public School District student-counselor ratio is 300:1 — 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 Willmar Public School District is typically wider than the Willmar Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Willmar Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 36.8% — 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 Willmar Public 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 Willmar Public School District?
Willmar Public School District has 11 schools, including 2 high, 2 middle, 7 combined. Total enrollment is 4,279 students.
How much does Willmar Public School District spend per student?
Willmar Public School District spends $14,812 per student. The district has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #31 in Minnesota.
What is the demographic composition of Willmar Public School District?
Willmar Public School District students are 45.2% Hispanic or Latino, 31.6% White, 13.2% African American, 3.8% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Willmar Public School District?
Willmar Public School District has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #31 out of 410 districts in Minnesota.