Thief River Falls School District

230 S Labree Ave
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-2800
(District boundaries shown in map)
: 
6/
10
Top 50%

Top Rankings

Thief River Falls School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Minnesota for:

Category
Attribute
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 2 public elementary schools serving 1,181 students in Thief River Falls School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public elementary schools in Minnesota.
Public Elementary Schools in Thief River Falls School District have an average math proficiency score of 44% (versus the Minnesota public elementary school average of 47%), and reading proficiency score of 47% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 20% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the Minnesota public elementary school average of 41% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (MN)
# Schools
5 Schools
1,663 Schools
# Students
1,725 Students
575,431 Students
# Teachers
116 Teachers
39,740 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
15:1
15:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Thief River Falls School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 514 school districts in Minnesota (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 89% has decreased from 90-94% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (MN)
#243 out of 525 school districts
(Top 50%)

Showing 2013–2023. Full 14-year historical data available below ↓

42%
46%

Showing 2013–2023. Full 14-year historical data available below ↓

48%
51%

Showing 2012–2022. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

32%
41%
89%
83.3%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

(2022-23)
29.2%
27.3%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.34
0.62

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% American Indian
2%
2%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Asian
1%
7%

Showing 2013–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Hispanic
9%
12%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Black
n/a
13%

Showing 2012–2021. Full 26-year historical data available below ↓

% White
81%
59%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
7%
7%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $17,898 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,325. The school district revenue/student has grown by 7% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $17,736 is less than the state median of $20,059. The school district spending/student has grown by 11% over four school years.
This School District
This State (MN)
Total Revenue
$31 MM
$16,920 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending
$31 MM
$17,562 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Revenue / Student
$17,898
$19,325

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending / Student
$17,736
$20,059

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Best Thief River Falls School District Public Elementary Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Challenger Elementary School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 50%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
601 County Road 61
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
(218) 681-2345
Gr: PK-5 | 727 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 19%
Rank: #22.
Franklin Middle School
(Math: 34% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
300 Spruce Ave S
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
(218) 681-8813
Gr: 6-8 | 454 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 21%

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Quick Facts (26-27)

  • District size: 5 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 1,725 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 15:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 19%
  • : 89% (Top 20% in MN)
  • : Top 50%
  • : 42% (Top 50%)
  • : 48% (Top 50%)
  • : 32% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), MN Dept. of Education

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