Enrollment Analysis: White students comprised 83.4% of Otter Tail County's student body in 2023-24 school year

Willie Jett Commissioner of Education Minnesota Department of Education | sahanjournal.com

By WC Minnesota News

Jun 13, 2025

There were 6,374 white students enrolled in Otter Tail County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.3% less 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, white students comprised 83.4% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 22 schools in the county, Kennedy Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 656.

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.

Ethnicities in Otter Tail County County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Otter Tail County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School Name	No. of White Students	% of White Students	Total School Enrollment
Parkers Prairie Elementary School	251	97.7%	257
Parkers Prairie Secondary School	267	96%	278
New York Mills Elementary School	440	94.2%	467
New York Mills Secondary School	314	93.7%	335
Underwood Elementary School	265	93.3%	284
Henning Elementary School	203	93.1%	218
Underwood Secondary School	260	90.6%	287
Battle Lake Elementary School	192	89.3%	215
Henning Secondary School	147	89.1%	165
Battle Lake Secondary School	167	88.8%	188
Cleveland Elementary School	308	87.5%	352
Kennedy Middle School	656	86.8%	756
Adams Elementary School	252	86%	293
Kennedy High School	593	85.8%	691
McKinley Elementary School	188	83.6%	225
Prairie Wind Middle School	442	83.6%	529
Perham Senior High School	425	82.7%	514
Heart of the Lake Elementary School	477	80%	596
Fergus Falls Area Learning Center	65	73%	89
Perham Area Learning Center	26	54.2%	48
Viking Elementary School	234	50.9%	460
Pelican Rapids Secondary School	202	50.5%	400