Enrollment
140
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 380004900212
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School — Fessenden, ND
Federal NCES profile for Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 57
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (53/100), with class sizes near the North Dakota median.
- C-
- Resource Index · 53/100
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 12.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 140
- students enrolled
School address
District: Fessenden-Bowdon 25 · North Dakota
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.3%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School reports 140 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the North Dakota average and 76% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 140 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fessenden-Bowdon 25 spends $16,781 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $18,450 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 42.8% from local sources (property taxes), 49.1% from the state, and 8.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 11.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.3% | ▼ 56% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 140 | top 49% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 79% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
140 larger than 14% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
12.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 54% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,781
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $18,450
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 140 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 140 Top 49% in North Dakota — larger than 51% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.3% -56% vs state
NCES ID 380004900212
Student demographics
White 97.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: White at 97.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 140:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fessenden-Bowdon 25, which includes Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School.
$16,781
Per student
-9%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 49.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 56
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School
How many students attend Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School?
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School has 140 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fessenden, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 1% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School?
12.3% of students at Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School is White at 97.9%. The school serves a student body in Fessenden, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School?
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.
Is Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School a good school?
Fessenden-Bowdon Elementary School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (53/100), with class sizes near the North Dakota median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.