WC Minnesota News

There were 653 Hispanic students enrolled in Otter Tail County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.3% more than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Otter Tail County welcomed 7,647 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 8.5% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 22 schools in the county, Viking Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 167.

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.

School Name	No. of Hispanic Students	% of Hispanic Students	Total School Enrollment
Viking Elementary School	167	36.3%	460
Pelican Rapids Secondary School	132	33%	400
Perham Area Learning Center	14	29.2%	48
Heart of the Lake Elementary School	62	10.4%	596
Prairie Wind Middle School	51	9.6%	529
Perham Senior High School	47	9.1%	514
Fergus Falls Area Learning Center	7	7.9%	89
Battle Lake Secondary School	12	6.4%	188
Adams Elementary School	15	5.1%	293
Battle Lake Elementary School	11	5.1%	215
Kennedy High School	33	4.8%	691
Kennedy Middle School	30	4%	756
McKinley Elementary School	7	3.1%	225
Underwood Secondary School	9	3.1%	287
Henning Secondary School	5	3%	165
New York Mills Secondary School	10	3%	335
Parkers Prairie Secondary School	8	2.9%	278
Cleveland Elementary School	9	2.6%	352
Underwood Elementary School	7	2.5%	284
New York Mills Elementary School	10	2.1%	467
Henning Elementary School	4	1.8%	218
Parkers Prairie Elementary School	3	1.2%	257