NW Minnesota News

There were 113 multiracial students enrolled in Polk County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.7% 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, multiracial students comprised 2.2% of the student body to be the fourth least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 17 schools in the county, Crookston Secondary School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 20.

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 Multiracial Students	% of Multiracial Students	Total School Enrollment
Fisher Elementary School	6	4.5%	133
Fisher Secondary School	4	4%	100
Climax Secondary School	4	3.7%	107
Crookston Secondary School	20	3.3%	616
Central Middle School	14	3.2%	438
Highland Elementary School	11	2.8%	392
East Grand Forks Senior High School	15	2.6%	588
Climax Elementary School	2	2.5%	79
South Point Elementary School	10	2.4%	426
Fosston Secondary School	5	1.8%	274
Win-E-Mac Elementary School	4	1.7%	230
Magelssen Elementary School	5	1.5%	344
New Heights Elementary School	7	1.4%	490
Washington Elementary School	1	0.9%	117
Fertile-Beltrami Secondary School	2	0.8%	242
Fertile-Beltrami Elementary School	2	0.8%	250
Win-E-Mac Secondary School	1	0.5%	214