Enrollment
470
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wadena, MN
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270002201733
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 6
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools.
- #7 of 7
- schools in Wadena · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.5:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 38.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High has class sizes larger than 90% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High ranks #7 of 7 schools in Wadena, MN.
School address
District: Wadena-Deer Creek School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270002201733 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Wadena, Minnesota, enrolling 470 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.5:1 is larger than about 90% of Minnesota schools and 49% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.4% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 470 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.
Among 419 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Minnesota schools statewide, it ranks #311, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 470 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% 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 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wadena-Deer Creek School District also operates Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary (450 students) and Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade (159 students) alongside Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High.
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 Senior High compares
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.5:1 | ▲ 49% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.4% | ▼ 10% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
470
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 49% above state mean
Top 90% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
24.7%
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 470 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 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 86.8%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.1, Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wadena-Deer Creek School District, which includes Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High.
$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 Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- 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 (~470 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High 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 Senior High
How many students attend Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High?
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High has 470 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wadena, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High is 23.5:1, which is 49% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High?
38.4% of students at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High is White at 86.8% of enrollment, in Wadena, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High?
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Senior High rank among schools in Wadena?
By Resource Investment Index, Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High ranks #7 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 Senior High a good school?
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Wadena-Deer Creek School District?
Besides Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High, Wadena-Deer Creek School District also operates Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary (450 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.