Public schools in Minnesota

The NCES directory lists 2,741 public schools operating in Minnesota in 2024-25; 2,321 of them reported 864,180 students, averaging 14.2 students per teacher, tied for 20th with Wisconsin of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Anoka-Hennepin School District, with 37,834 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,321994 elementary, 301 middle, 781 high, 245 other
Students864,1801.8% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher14.2U.S. 15.3

Minnesota has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Minnesota ranks 20th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Indiana15.2
  2. Delaware14.6
  3. Texas14.5
  4. Minnesota14.2
  5. Wisconsin14.2
  6. Iowa14.1
  7. Maryland14.1

Eight in ten larger Minnesota districts spent between $11,865 and $16,825 per student

Among the 163 Minnesota districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $11,865 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $16,825; the median was $14,091. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Minnesota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23163 values from $10,225 to $29,400; ; state median $14,091.$11,865$16,825the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23163 values from $10,225 to $29,400; ; state median $14,091.$11,865$16,825the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23163 values from $10,225 to $29,400; ; state median $14,091.$11,865$16,825the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,091
Current spending per student, Minnesota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23163 values from $10,225 to $29,400; ; state median $14,091.$11,865$16,825the middle eight in ten← 1 below $10,000$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,091

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 49.9% of the Minnesota students tested met the state's reading standard and 45.5% its math standard. Minnesota writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Minnesota's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 83.3% of 69,945 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Minnesota almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Wayzata High, 3,781 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Karner Blue Education Center, 3.2 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Red Lake Public School District, $29,400 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Bloomington Public Schools, $101,366 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: New Century School Secondary, 0.6% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Brandon Elementary, 67 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Seven Hills Preparatory Academy, 57.3 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Minnesota

  1. Anoka-Hennepin School District37,834
  2. Saint Paul Public Schools32,028
  3. Minneapolis Public School District29,923
  4. Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan ISD 19629,362
  5. Osseo Area Schools21,138
  6. South Washington County Schools19,531
  7. Rochester Public Schools17,136
  8. Elk River Area ISD 72814,576

Every Minnesota school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Saint Paul52,344 students135 schools
  2. Minneapolis40,386 students132 schools
  3. Rochester17,624 students44 schools
  4. Duluth10,604 students30 schools
  5. Brooklyn Park11,181 students29 schools
  6. Plymouth16,144 students27 schools
  7. Bloomington11,736 students26 schools
  8. White Bear Lake4,593 students20 schools
  9. Lakeville12,202 students20 schools
  10. Bemidji5,360 students20 schools
  11. Apple Valley13,339 students20 schools
  12. Woodbury13,474 students19 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Minnesota's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Minnesota?
    The NCES directory lists 2,741 operating in 2024-25; 2,321 of them reported students: 994 elementary, 301 middle, 781 high and 245 other, enrolling 864,180 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Minnesota?
    14.2 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Minnesota?
    Anoka-Hennepin School District, with 37,834 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Minnesota spend per public-school student?
    $15,706 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .