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Wadena-Deer Creek School District

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At a glance

291^stof 458 Minnesota districts▼ 4

Better than 36% of Minnesota districts

Elementary 1 Middle 1 High 1Grades PK, KG-12

600 Colfax Ave SW
Wadena, MN 56482-0151·(218) 632-2155·All Minnesota district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 36.5% of districts

Schools

1,079

Students

Top rankedWadena-Deer Creek Senior High196^th of 473 Minnesota high schools

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Biggest riser

Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High up 15 spots statewide this year

Compare Minnesota districts →See the top-ranked Minnesota schools →

Summary:

The Wadena-Deer Creek School District in Minnesota serves about 1,079 students across three schools: one elementary, one 5th–6th grade middle, and one senior high, with no alternative school. The Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High enrolls 470 students, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary enrolls 450, and Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade enrolls 159. The district is rated 2 stars and ranks 291st of 458 districts, in the 36th percentile.

The Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High is the district’s standout by rank: 3 stars and 196th of 473 in 2025–26, the 59th percentile. Its End of Course Science is 47.1% proficient versus the state’s 35%, and 7th grade reading and math are near state levels. Yet its dropout rate is 9.8% versus the state’s 4.2%, graduation is 80.2% versus 84.9%, and 8th grade science is 4.5% versus 16.7%. The Wadena-Deer Creek 5th and 6th Grade has the strongest reading: 45.1% versus the district’s 36.6% and state’s 48.6%, but that fell from 54.09%; math is 33.9%. The Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary has the highest math, 41.6% versus district 37.2% and state 44.9%, but reading is 27.7%, with 3rd grade reading at 23.1% versus state 46.8%. It also has the highest free/reduced lunch, 52.22%, and lowest student-teacher ratio, 11.1.

From 2024–25 to 2025–26, high school math improved 4.6 points, reading was flat, and science declined 3.46 points. Middle school reading dropped 8.99 points and math dropped 5.72 points; elementary math fell 5.03 points. The district declined in all three subjects, with drops larger than the state’s, and science flipped from above state to below state. Overall, the district is 7.7 points below state in math and 12.0 points below in reading, while science is only 2.0 points below. Poverty and staffing ratios do not line up simply with outcomes: the elementary has the highest free/reduced lunch and lowest student-teacher ratio but the weakest reading, while the middle has the highest ratio but strongest reading. This small data set does not support a simple causal conclusion.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCA-IV Reading (2026)								MCA-IV Science (2026)				MCA-III Math (2026)								Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-IV Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-IV Reading 4th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 5th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 6th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 7th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 8th Grade	MCA-IV Reading 10th Grade	MCA-IV Reading All Grades	MCA-IV Science 5th Grade	MCA-IV Science 8th Grade	MCA-IV Science End of Course	MCA-IV Science All Grades	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	215 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 632-2400	450	40	11.1	52.2%	387 (86.0%)	9 (2.0%)	21 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	23.5	698^th of 869 public elementary schools	19.7%		31.1	634^th of 872 public elementary schools	27.3%	64	23.1	31.8						27.7					41.0	42.0						41.6	82.1%	15.4%	$12,842
Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High	Public	7-12	600 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 632-2300	470	24	19.7	39.6%	408 (86.8%)	6 (1.3%)	21 (4.5%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.7%)	61	196^th of 473 public high schools	58.6%		58.6	211^th of 450 public high schools	53.1%	15					43.4	31.9	36.8	37.0		4.5	47.1	22.9					39.2	40.0	27.9	36.4			$12,843
Wadena-Deer Creek 5th And 6th Grade	Public	5-6	600 Colfax Ave SW	Wadena	56482	Wadena County	Wadena-Deer Creek School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 632-2400	159	7	21.3	40.9%	136 (85.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.0%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.3%)								(n/a)			46.2	44.2				45.1	24.7			24.7			34.2	33.7				33.9			$6,925

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Freshwater Education District	0.7 mi	21
Verndale Public School District	6.73 mi	2	356^th
New York Mills Public School District	12.57 mi	2	49^th
Bertha-Hewitt Public School District	12.81 mi	2	175^th
Sebeka Public School District	13.39 mi	3	199^th

See the top MN Minnesota districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.