NW Minnesota News

There was one Other Indigenous Peoples students enrolled in Pennington County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, the same number as the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Pennington County welcomed 2,075 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Other Indigenous Peoples students comprised less than 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

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
Franklin Middle School	1	0.2%	436
Northwest Area Learning Center	0	0%	29
Lincoln Senior High School	0	0%	565
Goodridge Secondary School	0	0%	108
Goodridge Elementary School	0	0%	156
Challenger Elementary School	0	0%	781