WC Minnesota News

There were 13 Other Indigenous Peoples students enrolled in Otter Tail County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 44.4% 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, Other Indigenous Peoples students comprised 0.2% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 22 schools in the county, Perham Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Other Indigenous Peoples students in the 2023-24 school year, with four.

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 Other Indigenous Peoples Students	% of Other Indigenous Peoples Students	Total School Enrollment
Perham Area Learning Center	2	4.2%	48
Battle Lake Elementary School	3	1.4%	215
Perham Senior High School	4	0.8%	514
Henning Secondary School	1	0.6%	165
Viking Elementary School	1	0.2%	460
Prairie Wind Middle School	1	0.2%	529
Heart of the Lake Elementary School	1	0.2%	596
Adams Elementary School	0	0%	293
Battle Lake Secondary School	0	0%	188
Cleveland Elementary School	0	0%	352
Fergus Falls Area Learning Center	0	0%	89
Henning Elementary School	0	0%	218
Kennedy High School	0	0%	691
Kennedy Middle School	0	0%	756
McKinley Elementary School	0	0%	225
New York Mills Elementary School	0	0%	467
New York Mills Secondary School	0	0%	335
Parkers Prairie Elementary School	0	0%	257
Parkers Prairie Secondary School	0	0%	278
Pelican Rapids Secondary School	0	0%	400
Underwood Elementary School	0	0%	284
Underwood Secondary School	0	0%	287