Enrollment
450
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wadena, MN
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270002200431
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #5 of 7
- schools in Wadena · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 51.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary ranks #5 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN.
School address
District: Wadena-Deer Creek School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270002200431 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.9%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wadena, Minnesota, enrolling 450 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 51.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 450 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 255 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #177.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 450 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District also operates Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High (470 students) and Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade (159 students) alongside Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary.
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 Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary compares
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.9% | ▲ 21% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 450 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
450
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 33% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.0%
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.
Funding equity
$14,549
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 450 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
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 86.0%
Two or More 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
African American 2.0%
Largest group: White at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wadena-Deer Creek School District, which includes Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary.
$14,549
Per student
-5%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 66.9%
Federal 15.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 159
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~450 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Wadena-Deer Creek School 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 Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary
How many students attend Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary has 450 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wadena, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 20% 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 Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?
51.9% of students at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is White at 86.0% of enrollment, in Wadena, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary rank among schools in Wadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary ranks #5 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 Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary a good school?
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median. 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 Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
Besides Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary, Wadena-Deer Creek School District also operates Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High (470 students) and Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade (159 students). See the Wadena-Deer Creek School 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.