North Dakota
517 Schools181 Districts121K Students
$22,170
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+55% nat'l36.0%
Free Lunch Rate
-16.2pp vs nat'l78.0%
Graduation Rate
-8.5pp vs nat'l59/100
Opportunity Score
ModerateAbout North Dakota Public Schools
North Dakota's public schools serve one of the smallest student populations in the country — fewer than 120,000 students — but the state has above-average per-pupil spending boosted by oil revenue from the Bakken formation. The western oil patch districts face unique challenges around rapid enrollment volatility as workers cycle in and out, while the eastern part of the state — anchored by Fargo and Grand Forks — has more stable demographics. North Dakota has a significant Native American student population, particularly in the Standing Rock and Fort Berthold reservation areas. The state uses the ND STARS assessment system and has relatively strong academic outcomes at the aggregate level, with smaller class sizes and community-engaged schools in most non-urban areas.
Largest District
BISMARCK 1
13K students
Highest Per-Pupil
BAKKER 10
$73,000/student
Top Graduation Rate
CENTRAL CASS 17
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (181)
Per-pupil spending in North Dakota ranges from $12,333 to $73,000 across districts with available data. State avg: $22,170.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| BISMARCK 1 | 27 | 13K | $17,673↓20% | 95.9%↑23% | 24.4%↓32% | 54 |
| WEST FARGO 6 | 24 | 13K | $17,900↓19% | 89.1%↑14% | 27.7%↓23% | 56 |
| FARGO 1 | 25 | 11K | $18,390↓17% | 89.7%↑15% | 33.4%↓7% | 49 |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| MINOT 1 | 22 | 7,700 | $16,919↓24% | 87.9%↑13% | 32.3%↓10% | 60 |
| GRAND FORKS 1 | 18 | 7,597 | $16,822↓24% | 92.7%↑19% | 33.2%↓8% | 40 |
| WILLISTON BASIN 7 | 13 | 5,292 | $15,039↓32% | — | 23.9%↓34% | 60 |
| MANDAN 1 | 11 | 4,336 | $19,056↓14% | 86.4%↑11% | 31.1%↓14% | 59 |
| DICKINSON 1 | 12 | 3,951 | $16,051↓28% | 95.3%↑22% | 25.9%↓28% | 68 |
| JAMESTOWN 1 | 7 | 2,161 | $15,869↓28% | 87.0%↑12% | 31.7%↓12% | 54 |
| MCKENZIE CO 1 | 5 | 2,004 | $26,609↑20% | 87.0%↑12% | 33.6%↓7% | — |
| DEVILS LAKE 1 | 5 | 1,733 | $15,668↓29% | 87.0%↑12% | 42.1%↑17% | 54 |
| BELCOURT 7 | 7 | 1,586 | $24,385↑10% | 77.0% | 100.0%↑178% | 35 |
| WAHPETON 37 | 4 | 1,201 | $17,112↓23% | 92.0%↑18% | 31.1%↓14% | 54 |
| CENTRAL CASS 17 | 3 | 1,035 | $15,107↓32% | 97.5%↑25% | 14.1%↓61% | 58 |
| VALLEY CITY 2 | 4 | 1,033 | $15,018↓32% | 92.0%↑18% | 38.2%↑6% | 57 |
| Small Districts — Fewer than 1,000 Students | ||||||
| NEW TOWN 1 | 3 | 994 | $31,785↑43% | 82.0%↑5% | 46.0%↑28% | 67 |
| GRAFTON 18 | 3 | 949 | $15,369↓31% | — | 47.4%↑32% | 63 |
| KINDRED 2 | 2 | 913 | $16,695↓25% | 92.5%↑19% | 8.2%↓77% | 56 |
| BEULAH 27 | 3 | 761 | $18,116↓18% | 92.0%↑18% | 20.4%↓43% | 61 |
| STANLEY 2 | 2 | 755 | $16,399↓26% | 92.5%↑19% | 24.4%↓32% | 67 |
| UNITED 7 | 2 | 703 | $14,869↓33% | 92.5%↑19% | 13.9%↓61% | 60 |
| NORTHERN CASS 97 | 3 | 689 | $18,691↓16% | 92.5%↑19% | 9.0%↓75% | 57 |
| BOTTINEAU 1 | 2 | 660 | $18,373↓17% | 92.5%↑19% | 31.4%↓13% | 60 |
| THOMPSON 61 | 2 | 655 | $20,217↓9% | 92.5%↑19% | 4.1%↓89% | — |
| KILLDEER 16 | 2 | 646 | $54,494↑146% | 84.5%↑8% | 22.1%↓38% | 65 |
| LISBON 19 | 3 | 628 | $15,612↓30% | 84.5%↑8% | 23.1%↓36% | 57 |
| CARRINGTON 49 | 2 | 613 | $15,122↓32% | 92.5%↑19% | 17.0%↓53% | 56 |
| RUGBY 5 | 2 | 607 | $17,943↓19% | 92.5%↑19% | 25.5%↓29% | 60 |
| NEDROSE 4 | 2 | 600 | $14,321↓35% | 85.0%↑9% | 33.5%↓7% | 60 |
| Standing Rock Community School | 1 | 571 | — | 64.5%↓17% | 99.5%↑177% | 21 |
| HAZEN 3 | 3 | 568 | $14,391↓35% | 84.5%↑8% | 16.6%↓54% | 61 |
| Turtle Mountain Elementary School | 1 | 555 | — | — | 99.5%↑176% | 35 |
| Turtle Mountain High School | 1 | 554 | — | 72.0%↓8% | 99.5%↑176% | 35 |
| DUNSEITH 1 | 2 | 547 | $28,056↑27% | 84.5%↑8% | 100.0%↑178% | 40 |
| SOUTH PRAIRIE 70 | 2 | 533 | $15,098↓32% | 85.0%↑9% | 19.1%↓47% | 60 |
| TIOGA 15 | 2 | 523 | $19,875↓10% | 85.0%↑9% | 11.8%↓67% | 64 |
| MAY-PORT CG 14 | 3 | 508 | $14,877↓33% | 92.5%↑19% | 19.5%↓46% | 57 |
| HILLSBORO 9 | 3 | 507 | $14,816↓33% | 92.5%↑19% | 22.1%↓39% | 57 |
| BOWMAN CO 1 | 4 | 498 | $16,338↓26% | 92.5%↑19% | 19.5%↓46% | 68 |
| OAKES 41 | 2 | 491 | $15,292↓31% | 85.0%↑9% | 17.5%↓51% | 57 |
| PARK RIVER AREA 8 | 2 | 484 | $15,093↓32% | 84.5%↑8% | 28.9%↓20% | 51 |
| ST JOHN 3 | 2 | 447 | $23,945↑8% | 92.5%↑19% | 100.0%↑178% | 40 |
| Tate Topa Tribal School | 1 | 441 | — | — | 99.3%↑176% | 30 |
| VELVA 1 | 2 | 440 | $17,503↓21% | 85.0%↑9% | 23.9%↓34% | 62 |
| NESSON 2 | 2 | 427 | $19,728↓11% | 85.0%↑9% | 16.2%↓55% | 64 |
| SURREY 41 | 2 | 423 | $13,467↓39% | 85.0%↑9% | 12.1%↓66% | 55 |
| LANGDON AREA 23 | 2 | 415 | $16,000↓28% | 85.0%↑9% | 21.4%↓40% | 62 |
| CAVALIER 6 | 2 | 412 | $15,502↓30% | 69.5%↓11% | 26.2%↓27% | — |
| SOUTH HEART 9 | 4 | 406 | $14,769↓33% | 85.0%↑9% | 10.8%↓70% | 74 |
| KIDDER COUNTY 1 | 2 | 403 | $15,861↓28% | 92.5%↑19% | 26.6%↓26% | 61 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.