schoolsbycounty

North Dakota Schools & Education

School quality and education data for all 53 counties.

Avg Graduation Rate

84.8%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$9,385

Avg School Score

55/100

Total Schools

511

172 districts

State Overview

About Schools in North Dakota

North Dakota Trails National Education Benchmarks

North Dakota's 84.8% graduation rate lags behind the national average of 87.0%. The state also spends significantly less on students, investing $9,385 per pupil compared to the national average of $13,000.

Vast Disparities Across the Peace Garden State

Across 51 reporting counties, school scores fluctuate wildly from a low of 15.5 in Slope County to a high of 66.8 in Steele County. While the average school score of 54.8 exceeds the national median, the performance gap between regions remains substantial.

Lean Spending Maintains Above-Average Quality

North Dakota achieves a 54.8 average school score, outperforming the national median of 50.0 despite spending nearly $3,600 less per pupil than the national average. This suggests a relatively high return on investment for the state's $9,385 average expenditure.

Steele and Cavalier Lead the State

Steele County takes the top spot with a score of 66.8, supported by the state's highest spending at $16,783 per pupil. Cavalier County follows with a high 63.1 score and an impressive 91.3% graduation rate, while Sioux County rounds out the top three.

Location is Key for Educational Success

North Dakota offers strong educational pockets, but families should look toward high-investment areas like Steele or high-graduation counties like Mercer. With graduation rates ranging from 75.0% to 95.0%, district choice significantly impacts student outcomes.

All North Dakota Counties

CountySchool Score
Steele County67/100
Cavalier County63/100
Sioux County62/100
Divide County61/100
Golden Valley County61/100
Pembina County61/100
McHenry County60/100
Dunn County59/100
Benson County59/100
Nelson County58/100
Renville County58/100
Logan County58/100
Ramsey County58/100
Pierce County58/100
Burke County58/100
Burleigh County58/100
Bowman County58/100
Ransom County58/100
Cass County57/100
Rolette County57/100
Barnes County57/100
Grand Forks County57/100
Mountrail County57/100
Kidder County56/100
Stark County56/100
Mercer County56/100
Sargent County56/100
Traill County56/100
Ward County55/100
Wells County55/100
Bottineau County55/100
Sheridan County55/100
McKenzie County55/100
Foster County55/100
Emmons County54/100
Towner County54/100
Dickey County54/100
Stutsman County54/100
LaMoure County54/100
Hettinger County53/100
Richland County53/100
Walsh County52/100
Eddy County52/100
McIntosh County52/100
Morton County52/100
Grant County51/100
McLean County51/100
Oliver County51/100
Griggs County50/100
Williams County50/100
Adams County48/100
Billings County39/100
Slope County16/100

— = data pending from NCES pipeline.

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Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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