Enrollment
253
Elementary
DISTRICT 242 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 274092001712
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY
411 SW BROWN ST, VERNDALE, MN 56481 · (218) 445-5184 · Wadena County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL253 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.8:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.9:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
105 students
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY→VERNDALE SECONDARY
Based on grade levels within VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
49.0%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
40.8%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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
42.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.8%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
253
-46 (-15%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
11.8:1
was 12.1:1
% White
94%
was 92%
% Hispanic
2%
was 1%
% Black
0%
was 1%
% Asian
1%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About VERNDALE ELEMENTARY
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY operates as a low-enrollment primary school in VERNDALE, Minnesota, operated by VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. Current enrollment sits at 253 students spanning grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 26% smaller than the typical public school in Minnesota, which averages around 344 students.
Across the 2 schools in VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT (484 students total), VERNDALE ELEMENTARY accounts for its share of the district's footprint.
Demographically, VERNDALE ELEMENTARY lists that nearly all students (94%) are White.
In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. About 42% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, VERNDALE ELEMENTARY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.8%; this one delivers 42.3%.
Around the school, ACS estimates for Wadena County put median household earnings sit near $61,467, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. In all, Wadena County runs 17 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,201 students), of which VERNDALE ELEMENTARY is one.
Nearest neighbor: VERNDALE SECONDARY, around 0.0 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), VERNDALE ELEMENTARY ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 34.8%.
The school occupies a low-density site.
Over the past 7-year window. VERNDALE ELEMENTARY's enrollment has declined 15% since 2018, when it stood at 299 (now 253).
On allk12, the feed for VERNDALE ELEMENTARY typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Wadena County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
14,256
Census ACS
Median income
$61,467
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
3,201 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
- VERNDALE SECONDARYHigh · 231 students
Nearby schools
- VERNDALE SECONDARY0.0 mi · 231
- EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION5.7 mi · 64
- Elm Tree Academy5.7 mi · 9
- LEAF RIVER ACADEMY5.7 mi · 15
- White Pine Academy5.7 mi · 11
- Freshwater Education District ALC5.7 mi · 101
Frequently asked questions
About VERNDALE ELEMENTARYHow many students attend VERNDALE ELEMENTARY?
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 253 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does VERNDALE ELEMENTARY serve?
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at VERNDALE ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 11.8:1 students per teacher at VERNDALE ELEMENTARY.
What is the student diversity at VERNDALE ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at VERNDALE ELEMENTARY are roughly 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is VERNDALE ELEMENTARY public or private?
VERNDALE ELEMENTARY is a public K-12 school, overseen by VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.