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West Central Area Secondary

Q: Is West Central Area Secondary a good school?

West Central Area Secondary ranks 109 th of 450 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 450 Minnesota High Schools

Better than 76% of Minnesota high schools

Summary

West Central Area Secondary is a public high school in Barrett, Minnesota, serving 240 students in grades 9-12 as part of the West Central Area School District. The school has shown strong academic performance, ranking in the top 25% of Minnesota high schools with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. While the school excels in reading proficiency, with 78% of 10th-grade students and 50.53% of all students proficient or better, its math performance lags behind the state average.

West Central Area Secondary stands out for its exceptional support for special education students, ranking in the top 5% of Minnesota high schools in this category. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.3 to 14 in recent years, which may contribute to its strong academic performance. However, the school faces challenges in addressing the gender gap in academic achievement, with female students significantly outperforming their male counterparts.

Compared to nearby schools, Brandon-Evansville High School outperforms West Central Area Secondary, ranking in the top 20% of Minnesota high schools and having stronger math and reading proficiency rates. In contrast, Ashby Secondary and Herman Secondary have lower state rankings and test scores compared to West Central Area Secondary.

229

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,120

Per pupil spending ?

34.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 County Road 2
Barrett, MN 56311-8888

(320) 528-7400

District: West Central Area

Feeder schools for West Central Area Secondary:

Elementary:	West Central Area N. Elementary
	West Central Area S. Elementary
Middle:	WCA Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.6%

Two or more races:

5.2%

Hispanic:

4.8%

See top rated Minnesota high schools

Compare West Central Area Secondary to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 54th percentile in 2015 → 76th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (54% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Minnesota high schools

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Minnesota average (84%)

Worth a look

!Math scores 20 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg46%

Minnesota avg47%

109^th of 450

Minnesota public high schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 22 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to top 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

142^nd of 446West Central Area 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	73.9	109 of 450	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.4	150 of 480	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.5	139 of 476	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	104 of 472	78.0%	★★★★☆
2021	68.9	132 of 428	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.2	93 of 492	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	79.9	80 of 494	83.8%	★★★★☆
2017	73.8	127 of 489	74.0%	★★★★☆
2016	74.4	112 of 489	77.1%	★★★★☆
2015	59.8	234 of 504	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	72.9	123 of 483	74.5%	★★★★☆
2013	67.3	185 of 534	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	78.0	77 of 539	85.7%	★★★★☆
2011	78.5	73 of 545	86.6%	★★★★☆
2010	78.3	74 of 540	86.3%	★★★★☆
2008	66.4	193 of 460	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	84.4	69 of 463	85.1%	★★★★☆
2006	80.3	80 of 450	82.2%	★★★★☆
2005	80.6	50 of 452	88.9%	★★★★☆
2004	79.9	52 of 433	88.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	74.7	82 of 358	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	69 of 403	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.4	97 of 396	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.6	87 of 388	77.6%	★★★★☆
2021	61.3	139 of 339	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.3	79 of 401	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	64.6	152 of 395	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	70.6	75 of 333	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.7	143 of 389	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.8	79 of 393	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	56 of 312	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	85.1	19 of 270	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.8	17 of 370	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	79.3	52 of 374	86.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	61.4	138 of 377	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.2	270 of 405	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.2	185 of 398	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.3	108 of 403	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	66.8	108 of 351	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.6	107 of 411	74.0%	★★★★☆
2018	84.1	33 of 398	91.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	92.8	10 of 216	95.4%	★★★★★
2021	74.6	33 of 173	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	67.5	51 of 220	76.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	61.8	139 of 376	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	196 of 402	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.5	158 of 398	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.4	108 of 401	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	56.8	167 of 364	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.2	146 of 412	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.9	116 of 414	72.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2023)95th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile~ school

Female (2025)77th percentile~ school

Male (2025)63rd percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)63rd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading78%+28 vs state

Math25%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Central Area Secondary

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 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math 11th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading 10th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
West Central Area Secondary	Public	9-12	301 County Road 2	Barrett	56311	Grant County	West Central Area	No	No	No	No	(320) 528-7400	229	18	12.5	34.5%	203 (88.6%)	2 (0.9%)	11 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.2%)	73.9	109^th of 450 public high schools	75.8%		68.4	150^th of 480 public high schools	68.8%	41			25.0	25.0			78.0	78.0	$21,120
West Central Area ALP	Public	5-12	301 County Road 2	Barrett	56311	Grant County	West Central Area	No	No	No	No	(320) 528-7401	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ashby Secondary	Public	7-12	300 Birch Ave	Ashby	56309	Grant County	Ashby Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 747-2257	137	12	11.6	35.0%	131 (95.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.2%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	35.8	312^th of 450 public high schools	30.7%		22.6	381^st of 480 public high schools	20.6%	69	55.6	70.0	22.7	49.3	48.2	55.0	36.8	47.0	$12,455
Herman-Norcross High School	Public	7-12	504 Lois Ave N	Herman	56248	Grant County	Herman-Norcross Community School	No	No	No	Yes	(320) 677-2291	36	5	7.1	13.9%	33 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)								(n/a)				5.9			18.2	13.6	$18,907
Brandon-Evansville High School	Public	9-12	206 3rd St W	Brandon	56315	Douglas County	Brandon-Evansville Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(320) 524-2263	158	10	15.6	37.3%	149 (94.3%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)	87.6	40^th of 450 public high schools	91.1%		78.2	85^th of 480 public high schools	82.3%	45			45.8	45.8			68.8	68.8	$15,170

Frequently Asked Questions about West Central Area Secondary

Is West Central Area Secondary a good school?

West Central Area Secondary ranks 109^th of 450 Minnesota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into West Central Area Secondary?

West Central Area Secondary is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : West Central Area N. Elementary
Elementary : West Central Area S. Elementary
Middle : WCA Middle School

What is the racial makeup of West Central Area Secondary?

Students at West Central Area Secondary are 89% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

How many students attend West Central Area Secondary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 229 students attended West Central Area Secondary.

What district is West Central Area Secondary in?

West Central Area

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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.