NC Minnesota News

Wadena-Deer Creek School District had the highest enrollment among Wadena County districts, welcoming 1,112 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Of all the students enrolled that year, 51.4% of them were female, and 48.6% were male.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 85.6% of Wadena-Deer Creek School District's total enrollment.

Among the five districts in Wadena County, Menahga Public School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 945 students, while Verndale Public School District welcomed 509 students to be ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Wadena-Deer Creek School District generally encompasses schools within Wadena County with its main office in Wadena.

In the previous school year, Wadena-Deer Creek School District also had the highest number of students among Wadena County districts.

According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Minnesota's fourth graders scored 241 in math, just above the national average of 237. Their reading score of 216 was on par with the U.S. average, but shows a slight decline over recent years. Eighth graders scored 284 in math and 264 in reading, both above the national averages. 

However, despite these results, both grade levels remain below pre-pandemic levels in math and reading.

As of 2024, according to Public School Review, the student-to-teacher ratio in Minnesota's public schools stands at 1:16, slightly worse than the national average of 1:15. This is part of a larger framework within Minnesota's educational system, which is the 10th largest in the United States, accommodating over 869,000 students across 2,709 public schools.

District	City (main office)	Total Enrollment
Wadena-Deer Creek School District	Wadena	1,112
Menahga Public School District	Menahga	945
Verndale Public School District	Verndale	509
Sebeka Public School District	Sebeka	482
Freshwater Education District	Wadena	180