NW Minnesota News

There were 194 Black students enrolled in Polk County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 6.7% less than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Polk County welcomed 5,040 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 3.9% of the student body to be the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, New Heights Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 52.

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 Black Students	% of Black Students	Total School Enrollment
New Heights Elementary School	52	10.6%	490
East Grand Forks Senior High School	40	6.8%	588
South Point Elementary School	28	6.6%	426
Central Middle School	27	6.2%	438
Highland Elementary School	19	4.9%	392
Fisher Secondary School	3	3%	100
Crookston Secondary School	14	2.3%	616
Washington Elementary School	2	1.7%	117
Fisher Elementary School	2	1.5%	133
Win-E-Mac Elementary School	2	0.9%	230
Fosston Secondary School	2	0.7%	274
Magelssen Elementary School	2	0.6%	344
Win-E-Mac Secondary School	1	0.5%	214
Fertile-Beltrami Secondary School	0	0%	242
Fertile-Beltrami Elementary School	0	0%	250
Climax Secondary School	0	0%	107
Climax Elementary School	0	0%	79