All students graduate
98.3%
of the class of 2025 graduated — the students who enrolled as freshmen in 2021–22 and are not continuing in K-W programming.
Target: above 95 percent
Kenyon-Wanamingo · ISD 2172
The numbers
Enrollment, what the district spends and where the money comes from, taken from the audited statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, and the results the district files with the state. The practical pages are on the school.
651students, adjusted average daily membership2024–25, down 2.5% on the year
$17,979spent per student, all funds2024–25, on $11.7M of expenditures
98.3%of the class of 2025 graduatedagainst a 95% goal
$13.4Mof general obligation bonds outstandingat June 30, 2025, running to 2038
Students
Enrollment
Enrollment is the number everything else follows from, because Minnesota pays districts by the pupil. Kenyon-Wanamingo has lost about a fifth of its students in nine years.
Adjusted average daily membership, fiscal 2016 to 2025
A peak of 828.93 in 2017; 651.06 in 2025.
| Fiscal year | Average daily membership | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 810.72 | — |
| 2017 | 828.93 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 782.92 | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 774.45 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 742.04 | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 702.15 | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 673.61 | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 660.18 | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 667.95 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 651.06 | -2.5% |
Spending
What it costs
All funds together, the district spent $11.7 million in 2024–25 — $17,979 for every student in average daily membership, $287 more per student than the year before on $112,010 less total spending, because the denominator fell faster than the numerator.
Cost per student by program, 2024–25
All funds, divided by an average daily membership of 651.06.
| Program | 2024–25 | Per student | 2023–24 | Per student |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular instruction | $4,476,133 | $6,875 | $4,588,258 | $6,869 |
| Special education | $1,782,327 | $2,738 | $1,708,695 | $2,558 |
| Pupil support services | $1,232,551 | $1,893 | $1,247,000 | $1,867 |
| Site, buildings and equipment | $1,141,341 | $1,753 | $1,078,706 | $1,615 |
| District and school administration | $646,166 | $992 | $609,846 | $913 |
| District support services | $644,815 | $990 | $676,996 | $1,014 |
| Food service | $618,032 | $949 | $639,035 | $957 |
| Community service | $504,669 | $775 | $615,858 | $922 |
| Fiscal and other fixed costs | $264,386 | $406 | $240,706 | $360 |
| Instructional support services | $227,166 | $349 | $216,829 | $325 |
| Vocational instruction | $167,928 | $258 | $195,595 | $293 |
| All funds | $11,705,514 | $17,979 | $11,817,524 | $17,692 |
Revenue and the levy
Where the money comes from
Where the $13.56 million came from, 2024–25
Local property taxes were 21 percent of revenue, the same share as the year before.
Unrestricted state sources $5.50MOperating grants and contributions $4.11MProperty taxes $2.78MCharges for services $1.00MOther sources $0.14MCapital grants and contributions $0.03M
The local levy, five years
Collected across four counties — Dodge, Goodhue, Rice and Steele. Debt service has been close to half of it throughout.
GeneralCommunity serviceDebt service
| Levy year | General | Community service | Debt service | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 pay 21 (FY22) | $1,235,398 | $130,291 | $1,751,711 | $3,117,400 |
| 21 pay 22 (FY23) | $1,711,675 | $125,832 | $1,799,663 | $3,637,170 |
| 22 pay 23 (FY24) | $1,708,564 | $115,340 | $1,679,958 | $3,503,862 |
| 23 pay 24 (FY25) | $1,697,022 | $96,629 | $1,688,359 | $3,482,010 |
| 24 pay 25 (FY26) | $1,746,514 | $75,309 | $1,706,882 | $3,528,705 |
Source: tax levy history, 2025 financial statements.
Bonds
The debt
$20.8 million of original principal, $13.4 million still outstanding at June 30, 2025. Total long-term liabilities, including a $4.3 million net pension liability, were $14.3 million and falling.
| Issue | Original | Interest | Final maturity | Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016A Alternative facilities refunding | $3,475,000 | 3.00% | Feb 2026 | $910,000 |
| 2017A School building refunding and maintenance | $5,315,000 | 3.00% | Feb 2033 | $1,155,000 |
| 2017B School building | $4,685,000 | 3.00% | Feb 2038 | $4,265,000 |
| 2018A School building | $6,830,000 | 3.00–3.25% | Feb 2038 | $6,830,000 |
| 2019A Tax abatement | $480,000 | 3.50% | Feb 2030 | $265,000 |
| Total | $20,785,000 | $13,425,000 |
Source: note 7, long-term liabilities, 2025 financial statements.
What statutory operating debt means
Minnesota Statutes 123B.81 subdivision 2 puts a district in statutory operating debt when its year-end unassigned general fund balance is negative by more than 2.5 percent of unrestricted operating expenditures. Kenyon-Wanamingo's UFARS unassigned balance was −$1,533,877 at June 30, 2025.
It is improving. The general fund unassigned balance rose $118,248 during the year and the general fund as a whole gained $144,922. A district in this position files a plan with the Department of Education and works it until the balance turns. The 2024 plan aimed at 2027.
Results
What the district reports about itself
Every Minnesota district files an annual Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness report. Kenyon-Wanamingo's for 2024–25, signed by the superintendent, sets five goals and reports against each one — including the three it missed.
Ready to be lifelong learners
100%
of the class of 2026 completed the ACT, Accuplacer or ASVAB before the 2025–26 year began.
Target: all of them
All students ready for school
61%
of kindergarteners met the benchmark on the fall FastBridge Early Reading screener.
Target: above 70 percent
Closing the opportunity gap
+3.6% math
for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Reading fell 3.4 percent for the same group.
Target: growth in both
Career and college ready
+9.2% math
on the high school Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. Science slipped 0.2 percent.
Target: growth in both
The district also screens grades 5–12 three times a year with FastBridge MySAEBRS. In 2024–25, 69 percent of students scored at low risk for social, academic and emotional behavior in the fall, 72 percent in the winter and 73 percent in the spring. Subject-by-subject Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment results, attendance and demographics for every grade are published by the state on the Minnesota Report Card. Source: CACR annual summary report, FY 2025.
Asked and answered
Questions
How big is Kenyon-Wanamingo?
651.06 students by adjusted average daily membership in the year ended June 30, 2025, down 2.5 percent from 667.95 the year before and down about a fifth from 810.72 in 2016. The district's own staff directory lists 77 people.
What is the graduation rate at Kenyon-Wanamingo?
98.3 percent for the class of 2025, in the district's Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness report to the Minnesota Department of Education. The goal had been 95 percent. Every member of the class of 2026 had completed the ACT, Accuplacer or ASVAB before the 2025–26 year began.
What does Kenyon-Wanamingo spend per student?
$17,979 per adjusted average daily membership across all funds in 2024–25, on $11,705,514 of expenditures. Regular instruction is $6,875 of that and special education $2,738.
Why is the district in statutory operating debt?
Its unassigned general fund balance was negative $1,533,877 on a UFARS basis at June 30, 2025, more than 2.5 percent of unrestricted operating expenditures, which is the trigger in Minnesota Statutes 123B.81. The balance improved by $118,248 during the year. The district is working a long-term correction plan with the state.
Where does the school levy go?
Across four counties — Dodge, Goodhue, Rice and Steele — and three ways once collected: general, community service and debt service. Debt service has been close to half of the total for five years, repaying the bonds that built and renovated the buildings.
Sources
Independent School District #2172 financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, audited by Smith Schafer — management's discussion and analysis, the condensed statement of activities, note 7 on long-term liabilities, the supplemental cost schedules and the tax levy history. The district's Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness annual summary report for FY 2025 and its Local Literacy Plan for 2024–25, both filed with the Minnesota Department of Education. Pages at kw.k12.mn.us for the school board, board meetings, district contact information, the staff directory, food service, transportation, Little Knights preschool, Knights Kids, kindergarten round-up, weather guidelines, driver education, the K-W Education Foundation and the athletic hall of fame, read October 1, 2026. U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data, local education agency and school directory for LEA 2717100. Minnesota House Research, school district consolidation file for Kenyon. The Kenyon-Wanamingo High School article on Wikipedia for the music department's state ratings and tours. KTTC, April 18, 2024. The Wanamingo Messenger, December 13, 2024. Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, History of Goodhue County, Minnesota (1909).