North Dakota · NCES F-33 finance data

School Funding Equity in North Dakota

101 districts ranked by how equitably school funding is distributed, scored from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states.

51
State avg score
49
National avg score
101
Districts ranked

The equity picture in one line

Dunseith 1 ranks first in North Dakota for funding equity at 97/100, in a state whose districts average 51 against a national average of 49.

97/100
top score (Dunseith 1)
$22,054
per-pupil spending in the top district
19
districts scoring 70 or higher
14
districts below 30
# District Score
1 Dunseith 1 97
2 Warwick 29 95
3 Solen 3 94
4 New Town 1 91
5 St John 3 90
6 Milnor 2 90
7 Midway 128 89
8 Valley-Edinburg 118 87
9 Belcourt 7 83
10 Minnewaukan 5 83
11 North Border 100 82
12 Ft Totten 30 82
13 Beach 3 80
14 Linton 36 78
15 Enderlin Area 24 77
16 Dakota Prairie 1 76
17 Mt Pleasant 4 75
18 Parshall 3 73
19 Lamoure 8 73
20 Tgu 60 67
21 Glenburn 26 67
22 Fargo 1 66
23 Minto 20 66
24 Divide County 1 65
25 Napoleon 2 65
26 Underwood 8 62
27 Grand Forks 1 61
28 Harvey 38 60
29 Center-Stanton 1 60
30 Powers Lake 27 60
31 New England 9 59
32 Kidder County 1 57
33 Medina 3 57
34 Maple Valley 4 56
35 Hankinson 8 56
36 Jamestown 1 55
37 Mott-Regent 1 55
38 Alexander 2 54
39 Wishek 19 54
40 Griggs County Central 18 53
41 Bottineau 1 52
42 Kenmare 28 52
43 Minot 1 51
44 Wahpeton 37 51
45 Grafton 18 51
46 Garrison 51 51
47 North Star 10 50
48 Hettinger 13 50
49 Barnes County North 7 50
50 New Salem-Almont 49 49
51 Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 1 49
52 Wyndmere 42 49
53 Devils Lake 1 48
54 Rugby 5 47
55 Belfield 13 47
56 Lisbon 19 45
57 Wilton 1 45
58 Tioga 15 44
59 Eight Mile 6 44
60 Hillsboro 9 43
61 Surrey 41 43
62 Washburn 4 43
63 Flasher 39 43
64 Bismarck 1 42
65 Langdon Area 23 42
66 Cavalier 6 42
67 Edgeley 3 41
68 Nedrose 4 40
69 Lewis and Clark 161 40
70 Killdeer 16 39
71 Richland 44 38
72 Richardton-Taylor 34 37
73 Velva 1 36
74 May-Port Cg 14 35
75 Dickinson 1 34
76 Ellendale 40 34
77 West Fargo 6 33
78 Mckenzie Co 1 33
79 Valley City 2 33
80 Central Valley 3 33
81 Kindred 2 32
82 Northwood 129 32
83 New Rockford-Sheyenne 2 32
84 Mandan 1 31
85 United 7 31
86 Park River Area 8 31
87 Bowman Co 1 30
88 Larimore 44 29
89 South Prairie 70 28
90 Thompson 61 26
91 Oakes 41 26
92 Hazen 3 25
93 Nesson 2 25
94 South Heart 9 25
95 Beulah 27 23
96 Northern Cass 97 23
97 Mapleton 7 23
98 Williston Basin 7 21
99 Central Cass 17 17
100 Stanley 2 15
101 Carrington 49 13

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness. According to the National Center for Education Statistics F-33 Finance Survey (FY 2021-22, released in 2024), which covers more than 17,000 districts nationwide, local property wealth drives most of the spending differences the score captures; our methodology documents each weight:

Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)
Higher spending relative to peers
Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)
Spending weighted by poverty level, rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest
Funding Diversity (0-25)
Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support
Resource Access (0-25)
Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention