Enrollment
15
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wadena, MN
Leaf River Academy
Federal NCES profile for Leaf River Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270001403675
👥 S:T ratio 80
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 97
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Leaf River Academy earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools.
- #2 of 7
- schools in Wadena · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 58.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Leaf River Academy has class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Leaf River Academy ranks #2 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN.
School address
District: Freshwater Education District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270001403675 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-68% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Leaf River Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Leaf River Academy
Leaf River Academy is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Wadena, Minnesota, enrolling 15 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5:1, Leaf River Academy is leaner than roughly 94% of Minnesota schools and 68% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 58.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Minnesota schools, with 15 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 62 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #26.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 15 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 30.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 13 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 15 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Freshwater Education District also operates Freshwater Education District Alc (101 students) and Early Childhood Special Education (64 students) alongside Leaf River Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Leaf River Academy compares
Leaf River Academy on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5:1 | ▼ 68% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.3% | ▲ 36% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 15 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
15
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
5:1
students per teacher
- 68% below state mean
Top 6% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
60.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 15 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 73.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 86.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 86.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 6.7%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.9, Leaf River Academy is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
How Leaf River Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Education District Alc | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Early Childhood Special Education | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| White Pine Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Elm Tree Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Leaf River Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 101
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 64
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- 5.5:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
- Enrollment
- 9
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~15 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Leaf River Academy's federal record.
- Compare Leaf River Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Freshwater Education District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Leaf River Academy
How many students attend Leaf River Academy?
Leaf River Academy has 15 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Wadena, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leaf River Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Leaf River Academy is 5:1, which is 68% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 68% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Leaf River Academy?
58.3% of students at Leaf River Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leaf River Academy?
The largest demographic group at Leaf River Academy is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Wadena, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leaf River Academy?
Leaf River Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Leaf River Academy rank among schools in Wadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Leaf River Academy ranks #2 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wadena on the city page.
Is Leaf River Academy a good school?
Leaf River Academy earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Minnesota schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Freshwater Education District?
Besides Leaf River Academy, Freshwater Education District also operates Freshwater Education District Alc (101 students), Early Childhood Special Education (64 students), and White Pine Academy (11 students). See the Freshwater Education District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.