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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
529
High
DISTRICT 284 · STATE 371
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PERHAM-DENT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 272823001248
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH
800 CONEY STREET WEST, PERHAM, MN 56573 · (218) 346-6500 · Otter Tail County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL529 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 94% of Minnesota public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Minnesota public high schools
Student : Teacher
18.4:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 16.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
27%
141 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 48%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 149 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 137 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 130 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 113 | 21% |
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 60% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within PERHAM-DENT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
69.3%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
43.6%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 44 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
58.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.7%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 59% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like PERHAM SENIOR HIGH
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH's state test result (58.8% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| PERHAM SENIOR HIGH this school | 529 | 26.7% | 58.8% |
| LINCOLN SECONDARY LAKE CITY | 597 | 28.5% | 43.8% |
| Litchfield Senior High LITCHFIELD | 448 | 29.2% | 57.3% |
| Plainview-Elgin-Millville High PLAINVIEW | 414 | 25.8% | 48.3% |
| Paynesville Area Secondary School PAYNESVILLE | 465 | 28.4% | 29.9% |
| Jordan High School JORDAN | 619 | 24.6% | 51.6% |
Matched among Minnesota high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where PERHAM SENIOR HIGH ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Minnesota | In Otter Tail County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 58.8% | #27 of 397 | #1 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.6% | #101 of 401 | #5 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.3% | #22 of 397 | #1 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 529 | #161 of 764 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.4:1 | #222 of 332 | #5 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.9% | #200 of 338 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 26.7% | #327 of 444 | #7 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +20.8% | #45 of 181 | #1 of 6 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
529
+98 (+23%) vs 2020
-20% since 1990-91, when it was 665
Student : Teacher
18.4:1
was 16.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 529 | 28.7 | 18.4:1 | 27% (141) |
| 2023-24 | 514 | 25.1 | 20.5:1 | 32% (165) |
| 2022-23 | 505 | N/A | N/A | 36% (180) |
| 2020-21 | 431 | 26 | 16.6:1 | 21% (90) |
| 2017-18 | 438 | 27.5 | 15.9:1 | 27% (117) |
| 2015-16 | 439 | 27 | 16.3:1 | 25% (108) |
| 2010-11 | 490 | 26 | 18.9:1 | 39% (193) |
| 2000-01 | 621 | 33 | 18.8:1 | 22% (137) |
| 1990-91 | 665 | 33 | 20.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for PERHAM SENIOR HIGH.
Since 2017-18: students up 21% (438 to 529); teachers up 4% (27.5 to 28.7).
About PERHAM SENIOR HIGH
Among the schools in PERHAM, Minnesota, is PERHAM SENIOR HIGH, a medium-sized high school. School enrollment was 529 students in 2024-25, in grades 9 through 12. The average among high schools in Minnesota is roughly 371 students; this school is 43% bigger than that.
PERHAM-DENT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT counts 4 schools and 1,671 students, including PERHAM SENIOR HIGH.
Most students at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH are White: 84% of enrollment. Other groups include 9% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 2% Native American. By the diversity index, PERHAM SENIOR HIGH comes in at 29%.
The school has about 18.4 students per teacher and 28.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. That ratio is over the 16.3:1 average for high schools in Minnesota. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 27%. On average, public schools in Otter Tail County report 40%.
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is graded A by allk12, scoring above 94% of Minnesota public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is +8.0 points: 58.8% actual, 50.7% predicted.
County data help place the school in context: in Otter Tail County, median household income is about $72,255, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 28%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is among the 37 public schools in Otter Tail County.
The closest public school, PERHAM AREA LEARNING CENTER, is less than a tenth of a mile from PERHAM SENIOR HIGH. Within five miles are 3 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, PERHAM SENIOR HIGH ranks 1st of 8 on average proficiency.
Locale: Rural: Remote. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment was 431 in 2020-21 and 529 in 2024-25, a gain of 98 students. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (18.4:1) than in 2020-21 (16.6:1).
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Otter Tail County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
60,475
Census ACS
Median income
$72,255
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
37
8,503 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PERHAM-DENT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEART OF THE LAKE ELEMENTARYElementary · 578 students
- PRAIRIE WIND MIDDLEMiddle · 526 students
- PERHAM AREA LEARNING CENTERHigh · 38 students
Other schools in PERHAM
- HEART OF THE LAKE ELEMENTARYElementary · 578 students
- PRAIRIE WIND MIDDLEMiddle · 526 students
- PERHAM AREA LEARNING CENTERHigh · 38 students
Nearby schools
- PERHAM AREA LEARNING CENTER0.0 mi · 38
- PRAIRIE WIND MIDDLE0.1 mi · 526
- HEART OF THE LAKE ELEMENTARY0.2 mi · 578
- NEW YORK MILLS SECONDARY10.8 mi · 362
- NEW YORK MILLS ELEMENTARY10.8 mi · 460
- FRAZEE SECONDARY11.3 mi · 381
Frequently asked questions
About PERHAM SENIOR HIGHWhat is the total enrollment at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH?
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH enrolls approximately 529 students in grades 09-12.
Is PERHAM SENIOR HIGH an elementary, middle, or high school?
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH?
The student-to-teacher ratio at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is approximately 18.4:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at PERHAM SENIOR HIGH?
At PERHAM SENIOR HIGH, the student body is approximately 84% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is PERHAM SENIOR HIGH in?
PERHAM SENIOR HIGH is part of PERHAM-DENT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.