SW Minnesota Today

There were 462 Hispanic students enrolled in Cottonwood County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, 7.9% more than the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Cottonwood County welcomed 1,891 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 24.4% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the seven schools in the county, Windom Area Elementary recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 119.

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 Hispanic Students	% of Hispanic Students	Total School Enrollment
Mountain Lake Elementary School	81	30.1%	269
Windom Senior High School	96	28.2%	341
Mountain Lake Secondary School	66	27.5%	240
Windom Area Elementary	119	26.6%	447
Windom Middle School	85	24.2%	352
SWWC Alternative Learning Center - Windom	9	17%	53
Westbrook-Walnut Grove Secondary School	6	3.2%	189