High school (grades 9-12) · Fargo, ND

North High School

Federal NCES profile for North High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 380678000205
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
📚 AP courses
85
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
45
📋 Attendance
10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

North High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of North Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Dakota.

#3 of 5
high schools in Fargo · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
13.9:1
large classes for North Dakota
19.3%
free-lunch eligible

North High School has class sizes larger than 74% of North Dakota schools. Computed live against every North Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, North High School ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Fargo, ND.

School address

Enrollment

1,110

North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

80.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.9:1

vs 11.8:1 North Dakota avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

19.3%

vs 28.2% North Dakota avg

-32% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How North High School compares with North Dakota and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at North High School

North High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Fargo, North Dakota, enrolling 1,110 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the larger third of North Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 19.3% lands close to the North Dakota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Dakota, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,110 students.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 498 North Dakota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 28 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #21, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (6%) (diversity index 38/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Fargo's high schools, it stands alongside Fargo Davies High School (1,277 students): North High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.9:1 vs 13.7:1).

Fargo 1 also operates Fargo Davies High School (1,277 students) and Discovery Middle School (992 students) alongside North High School.

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 North High School compares

North 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 13.9:1 ▲ 18% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 19.3% ▼ 32% 28.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,110 top 2% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,110
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
19.3%
free-lunch eligible - 32% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 74% in North Dakota - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.0%
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
$16,941
per pupil, district-wide - below North Dakota avg of $18,450
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 78.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
African American 5.9%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Asian 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%

Largest group: White at 78.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 37.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 37.8, North High School is more mixed than the North Dakota school average of 29.7.

Programs

AP courses offered 17

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fargo 1, which includes North High School.

$16,941
Per student
-8%
vs North Dakota
Avg $18,450
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 48.6%
Federal 15.3%

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 North High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Fargo Davies High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Discovery Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
South High School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Ben Franklin Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to North High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Fargo 1 · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Fargo

4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on North High School's federal record.

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 North High School

How many students attend North High School?

North High School has 1,110 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fargo, ND.

What is the student-teacher ratio at North High School?

The student-teacher ratio at North High School is 13.9:1, which is 18% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.8:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at North High School?

19.3% of students at North High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North High School?

The largest demographic group at North High School is White at 78.2% of enrollment, in Fargo, ND.

What is the Resource Investment Index for North High School?

North High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does North High School rank among high schools in Fargo?

By Resource Investment Index, North High School ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Fargo, ND. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Fargo on the city page.

Is North High School a good school?

North High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of North Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Dakota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Fargo 1?

Besides North High School, Fargo 1 also operates Fargo Davies High School (1,277 students), Discovery Middle School (992 students), and South High School (898 students). See the Fargo 1 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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 June 2026.