Enrollment
42
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bowbells, ND
Bowbells High School
Federal NCES profile for Bowbells High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 380309000070
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bowbells High School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of North Dakota schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.4:1
- small classes for North Dakota
- 14.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 42
- students enrolled
Bowbells High School has class sizes smaller than 78% of North Dakota schools. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Bowbells 14 · North Dakota
NCES ID 380309000070 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.6%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bowbells High School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bowbells High School
Small campus with unusually lean teacher staffing
Bowbells High School sits near the smaller end of the North Dakota enrollment distribution while also reporting a lower student-teacher ratio than most state schools. That pairing is consistent with a compact, teacher-dense setting, though small scale can limit the number of specialized courses or support roles a campus can sustain. The program and staffing sections below show whether the lean ratio extends beyond classroom teachers into broader student services.
Lower need and stronger resource signals align
Bowbells High School reports lower free-meal eligibility than most North Dakota schools and an above-typical Resource Investment Index. The two measures move together, a pattern consistent with the resource advantages that often accompany a lower-need intake. That association should not be mistaken for a causal verdict about the school; it is a transparent description of how this campus sits on two independent federal-data dimensions.
A combined-grade campus has a different support burden
Bowbells High School serves a combined grade span rather than a conventional elementary, middle, or high-school band. That structure can require the same campus to cover transitions, counseling needs, and programs for students at substantially different developmental stages, so a single staffing ratio deserves more caution than it would at a narrower-grade school. Federal totals show the available people and programs, but not how those resources are divided among grade levels.
Bowbells High School is a lower-poverty, small combined-grade school in Bowbells, North Dakota, enrolling 42 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 42 puts it in the smaller third of North Dakota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 498 scored North Dakota schools.
Against 28 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #18.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 105 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Bowbells 14 spends $28,534 per pupil, 55% above the North Dakota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Bowbells's public schools, it stands alongside Bowbells Elementary School (50 students): Bowbells High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (8.4:1 vs 7.1:1).
Its district, Bowbells 14, also runs Bowbells Elementary School (50 students).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bowbells High School compares
Bowbells High School on the metrics families compare, against North Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.4:1 | ▼ 29% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.6% | ▼ 48% | 28.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 42 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.4:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
42
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.4:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 22% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$28,534
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Dakota avg of $18,450
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 92.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Largest group: White at 92.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.4, Bowbells High School is less mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bowbells 14, which includes Bowbells High School.
$28,534
Per student
+55%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+72%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 43.4%
Federal 8.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bowbells High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowbells Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bowbells High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 50
- Students per teacher
- 7.1:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar other schools in Bowbells
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~42 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bowbells High School's federal record.
- Compare Bowbells High School against another school. Compare schools
- Bowbells 14's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bowbells High School
How many students attend Bowbells High School?
Bowbells High School has 42 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bowbells, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowbells High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bowbells High School is 8.4:1, which is 29% lower than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 46% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bowbells High School?
14.6% of students at Bowbells High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bowbells High School?
The largest demographic group at Bowbells High School is White at 92.9% of enrollment, in Bowbells, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bowbells High School?
Bowbells High School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
What other schools are in Bowbells 14?
Besides Bowbells High School, Bowbells 14 also operates Bowbells Elementary School (50 students). See the Bowbells 14 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.