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Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary

Q: Is Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary a good school?

Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary ranks 634 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

634^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is a public elementary school serving 464 students in grades PK-4 in Wadena, Minnesota. The school is part of the Wadena-Deer Creek School District, which is ranked 287 out of 446 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Minnesota elementary schools over the past 5 years, with proficiency rates in Math and Reading below the state averages. The school's performance is particularly low for White students and Special Education students, ranking in the bottom 25% of Minnesota elementary schools for these subgroups. However, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.9 to 12.3 over the past 3 years, which is comparable to or slightly better than nearby schools.

Interestingly, Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary is located within 17 miles of several higher-performing elementary schools, such as Henning Elementary, New York Mills Elementary, and Bertha Elementary, which have consistently higher academic performance and lower percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. This suggests that Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary may have opportunities to learn from and collaborate with these higher-performing schools to improve its own practices and outcomes.

450

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,842

Per pupil spending ?

52.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 Colfax Ave SW
Wadena, MN 56482-0151

(218) 632-2400

District: Wadena-Deer Creek School District

Students who attend Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wadena-Deer Creek 5th And 6th Grade
High:	Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.0%

Two or more races:

5.1%

Hispanic:

4.7%

See top rated Minnesota elementary schools

Compare Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (39% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg39%

Minnesota avg47%

634^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

287^th of 446Wadena-Deer Creek School District among Minnesota districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	634 of 872	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	650 of 881	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.5	535 of 845	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	631 of 858	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.0	662 of 869	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.8	496 of 870	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	622 of 847	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	54.0	462 of 853	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.4	384 of 848	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.1	417 of 840	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.8	293 of 826	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.0	373 of 824	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	51.0	512 of 820	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.9	608 of 814	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.7	629 of 803	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	58.4	381 of 781	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.2	343 of 777	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.0	308 of 756	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.5	345 of 685	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	42.2	478 of 676	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	45.5	452 of 674	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	618 of 799	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	665 of 809	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	520 of 787	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	591 of 799	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	615 of 783	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	56.9	412 of 787	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	574 of 774	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	43.2	463 of 764	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	539 of 793	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	387 of 774	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	387 of 663	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.4	454 of 683	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.5	259 of 740	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	439 of 728	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	579 of 812	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.0	546 of 826	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	480 of 799	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	600 of 808	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	610 of 784	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.2	536 of 798	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.1	591 of 779	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	369 of 562	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.1	523 of 572	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	37.9	343 of 524	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	279 of 500	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.3	334 of 417	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	323 of 515	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	695 of 714	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	702 of 730	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	615 of 712	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	680 of 725	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.1	694 of 710	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	598 of 722	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	692 of 712	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)34th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile~ school

Female (2025)23rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Math47%~ state avg

Reading31%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	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%)	31.1	634^th of 872 public elementary schools	27.3%		30.4	650^th of 881 public elementary schools	26.2%	16	52.3	40.3			46.6	33.7	27.6			30.9	$12,842
Verndale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	411 SW Brown St	Verndale	56481	Wadena County	Verndale Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 445-5184	253	21	11.8	41.5%	239 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	47.4	501^st of 872 public elementary schools	42.5%		42.2	566^th of 881 public elementary schools	35.8%	65	56.8	57.6	31.6	12.5	40.8	38.6	57.6	50.0	53.1	49.0	$10,713
New York Mills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	209 N Hayes Ave	New York Mills	56567	Otter Tail County	New York Mills Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 385-4201	460	29	15.7	43.9%	422 (91.7%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.3%)	79.9	149^th of 872 public elementary schools	82.9%		78	162^nd of 881 public elementary schools	81.6%	13	74.6	78.4	52.0	63.0	66.9	52.2	56.8	64.9	69.8	60.5	$9,458
Bertha Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	310 Central Ave S	Bertha	56437	Todd County	Bertha-Hewitt Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 924-2500	293	16	17.9	51.2%	279 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.4%)	57.4	400^th of 872 public elementary schools	54.1%		59	385^th of 881 public elementary schools	56.3%	15	81.4	66.7	36.6	38.7	55.9	50.0	28.6	46.3	53.1	46.4	$12,003
Sebeka Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 1st St NW	Sebeka	56477	Wadena County	Sebeka Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 837-5101	218	22	9.9	61.9%	205 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	59.4	378^th of 872 public elementary schools	56.7%		65.6	306^th of 881 public elementary schools	65.3%	72	75.9	87.5	22.2	32.0	54.1	51.7	62.5	40.0	54.2	51.7	$12,778
Henning Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	500 School Ave	Henning	56551	Otter Tail County	Henning Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 583-2927	210	16	13.4	50.5%	198 (94.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	75.7	200^th of 872 public elementary schools	77.1%		76.8	173^rd of 881 public elementary schools	80.4%	27	76.2	73.3	51.5	50.0	63.3	40.9	60.0	63.6	78.6	59.6	$11,751
Staples-Motley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1025 4th St NE	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 894-5400	308	24	13.1	55.8%	282 (91.6%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	33.8	609^th of 872 public elementary schools	30.2%		42.8	559^th of 881 public elementary schools	36.5%	50	48.9	44.3			46.3	34.0	34.4			34.3	$12,285

Frequently Asked Questions about Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?

Students at Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary are 86% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 2% African American.

What district is Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary in?

Wadena-Deer Creek School District

How many students attend Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 450 students attended Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary.

Is Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary a good school?

Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary ranks 634^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wadena-Deer Creek 5th And 6th Grade
High : Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High

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Latest Minnesota data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCA-III test scoresAug 29, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2022–23 graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.