Public schools in North Dakota

The NCES directory lists 514 public schools operating in North Dakota in 2024-25; 486 of them reported 115,460 students, averaging 10.9 students per teacher, tied for 49th with Maine of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Bismarck School District 1, with 14,086 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools486269 elementary, 38 middle, 171 high, 8 other
Students115,4600.2% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher10.9U.S. 15.3

North Dakota has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

North Dakota ranks 49th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. New York11.4
  2. Vermont11.1
  3. District of Columbia11.0
  4. New Hampshire11.0
  5. Wyoming11.0
  6. Maine10.9
  7. North Dakota10.9

Eight in ten larger North Dakota districts spent between $13,026 and $15,253 per student

Among the 15 North Dakota districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $13,026 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $15,253; the median was $14,196. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, North Dakota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2315 values from $12,242 to $22,582; ; state median $14,196.$13,026$15,253the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$13k$15k$18k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,196
Current spending per student, North Dakota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2315 values from $12,242 to $22,582; ; state median $14,196.$13,026$15,253the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$13k$15k$18k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,196
Current spending per student, North Dakota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2315 values from $12,242 to $22,582; ; state median $14,196.$13,026$15,253the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$13k$15k$18k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,196
Current spending per student, North Dakota districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2315 values from $12,242 to $22,582; ; state median $14,196.$13,026$15,253the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$13k$15k$18k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,196

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 44.2% of the North Dakota students tested met the state's reading standard and 38.9% its math standard. North Dakota writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare North Dakota's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 83.2% of 8,249 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the North Dakota almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Legacy High School, 1,419 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Turtle Mountain Community Middle School, 4.8 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Dunseith 1, $23,276 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Minot Public School District, $99,669 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Thompson Elementary School, 0.5% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Louis L'amour Elementary School, 70 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Jamestown 1, 59.6 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in North Dakota

  1. Bismarck School District 114,086
  2. West Fargo 6 School District12,796
  3. Fargo Public Schools11,427
  4. Grand Forks Public Schools7,811
  5. Minot Public School District6,164
  6. Dickinson 14,177
  7. Mandan Public Schools4,166
  8. Williston Basin 73,840

Every North Dakota school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Fargo13,379 students29 schools
  2. Bismarck13,587 students28 schools
  3. Minot6,668 students19 schools
  4. West Fargo8,615 students17 schools
  5. Grand Forks7,514 students16 schools
  6. Mandan4,214 students13 schools
  7. Dickinson4,177 students12 schools
  8. Williston3,840 students9 schools
  9. Jamestown2,032 students7 schools
  10. Devils Lake1,802 students6 schools
  11. Watford City2,306 students5 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about North Dakota's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in North Dakota?
    The NCES directory lists 514 operating in 2024-25; 486 of them reported students: 269 elementary, 38 middle, 171 high and 8 other, enrolling 115,460 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in North Dakota?
    10.9 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in North Dakota?
    Bismarck School District 1, with 14,086 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does North Dakota spend per public-school student?
    $15,539 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .