McFarland School District
McFarland School District is a public school district based in McFarland, Wisconsin, serving 5,921 students in 9 schools. By enrollment it ranks #22 of the 185 Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 89% of them. Its schools average 658 students each, more than the Wisconsin median of 430. Its superintendent is Aaron Tarnutzer. It spends about $10,799 per student on day-to-day operations, 16% less than the Wisconsin median. It has roughly 17.2 students per teacher.
How McFarland compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | McFarland | Wisconsin median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,799 | $12,911 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,709 | $7,657 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $71.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $74.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 344 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 644 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.2 | 13.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 296 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Wisconsin median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Aaron Tarnutzer
Source: Wisconsin DPI, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to McFarland School District yet. Recent Wisconsin coverage is on the Wisconsin page.
Peer districts in Wisconsin
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland School DistrictMcFarland · this district | 5,921 | 9 | $10,799 | 17.2 | #22 |
| D C Everest Area School DistrictWeston | 5,847 | 12 | $12,594 | 14.8 | #23 |
| Verona Area School DistrictVerona | 5,796 | 11 | $13,988 | 13.7 | #24 |
| La Crosse School DistrictLa Crosse | 5,717 | 19 | $15,875 | 11.0 | #25 |
| Howard-Suamico School DistrictGreen Bay | 5,678 | 9 | $11,758 | 14.0 | #26 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ware CountyWaycross, GA | 5,920 | $12,144 | 13.0 |
| Plainfield Community School CorporationPlainfield, IN | 5,917 | $8,726 | 18.4 |
| Mooresville Graded School DistrictMooresville, NC | 5,917 | $10,606 | 15.7 |
| Corvallis School District 509JCorvallis, OR | 5,917 | $13,655 | 18.1 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-wi-mcfarland-school-district