NW Minnesota News

There were 359 American Indian students enrolled in Polk County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2% more 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, American Indian students comprised 7.1% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, Crookston Secondary School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 74.

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 American Indian Students	% of American Indian Students	Total School Enrollment
Fosston Secondary School	41	15%	274
Magelssen Elementary School	45	13.1%	344
Crookston Secondary School	74	12%	616
Highland Elementary School	43	11%	392
New Heights Elementary School	39	8%	490
South Point Elementary School	27	6.3%	426
Washington Elementary School	6	5.1%	117
Fertile-Beltrami Elementary School	12	4.8%	250
Central Middle School	19	4.3%	438
East Grand Forks Senior High School	24	4.1%	588
Fisher Secondary School	4	4%	100
Climax Elementary School	3	3.8%	79
Fertile-Beltrami Secondary School	8	3.3%	242
Climax Secondary School	3	2.8%	107
Win-E-Mac Secondary School	5	2.3%	214
Win-E-Mac Elementary School	5	2.2%	230
Fisher Elementary School	1	0.8%	133