Freshwater Education District ALC

Located at 2222 INDUSTRIAL DRIVE, in WADENA, Minnesota, Freshwater Education District ALC is a very small secondary school that works with 101 students (grades 6 through 12), one of the schools within Freshwater Education District. That puts it 73% leaner than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 371 students.

Across the 5 schools in Freshwater Education District (200 students total), Freshwater Education District ALC accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Freshwater Education District ALC records that 74% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school lists 16% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 87% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, Freshwater Education District ALC logs 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 16.3:1, putting Freshwater Education District ALC tighter than the state norm the norm. About 61% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Wadena County runs at roughly 49%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

In the surrounding community, Wadena County reports that median household earnings sit near $61,467, roughly 20% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Freshwater Education District ALC is one of 17 public schools in Wadena County (combined enrollment of about 3,201 students).

Nearest neighbor: Elm Tree Academy, around 0.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 7 other public schools cluster around Freshwater Education District ALC.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 14%: 117 students in 2018 compared to 101 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 83% to 74%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 11.9:1 in 2018 to 9.7:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.