SW Minnesota Today

There were 21 multiracial students enrolled in Watonwan County public schools in the 2023-24 school year, the same number as the previous year, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Data showed that Watonwan County welcomed 1,983 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, multiracial students comprised 1.1% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the seven schools in the county, Madelia Secondary School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with seven.

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
Madelia Secondary School	7	2.4%	289
Armstrong School	1	1.5%	67
Madelia Elementary School	4	1.2%	344
St. James Middle/High School	5	0.9%	581
St. James Northside Elementary School	4	0.8%	492
Butterfield Secondary School	0	0%	107
Butterfield Elementary School	0	0%	103