schoolsbycounty

State district guide

North Dakota public school districts

Compare district systems across North Dakota by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

View county rankingsFind a school

Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in North Dakota, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

BISMARCK 1

13,964 reported students

Check county context

Billings County

94/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in North Dakota

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

172 districts in state file

North Dakota public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
BISMARCK 1

LEA ID 3800014

Burleigh County29 schools
13,964
2
WEST FARGO 6

LEA ID 3819410

Cass County25 schools
12,648
3
FARGO 1

LEA ID 3806780

Cass County25 schools
11,431
4
MINOT 1

LEA ID 3813030

Ward County22 schools
7,700
5
GRAND FORKS 1

LEA ID 3808130

Grand Forks County18 schools
7,597
6
WILLISTON BASIN 7

LEA ID 3800405

Williams County13 schools
5,292
7
MANDAN 1

LEA ID 3811820

Morton County11 schools
4,336
8
DICKINSON 1

LEA ID 3800038

Stark County12 schools
3,951
9
JAMESTOWN 1

LEA ID 3800021

Stutsman County7 schools
2,161
10
MCKENZIE CO 1

LEA ID 3812540

McKenzie County5 schools
2,004
11
DEVILS LAKE 1

LEA ID 3805040

Ramsey County5 schools
1,733
12
BELCOURT 7

LEA ID 3802530

Rolette County7 schools
1,586
13
WAHPETON 37

LEA ID 3819020

Richland County4 schools
1,201
14
CENTRAL CASS 17

LEA ID 3804090

Cass County3 schools
1,035
15
VALLEY CITY 2

LEA ID 3818850

Barnes County4 schools
1,033
16
NEW TOWN 1

LEA ID 3813920

Mountrail County3 schools
994
17
GRAFTON 18

LEA ID 3800406

Walsh County3 schools
949
18
KINDRED 2

LEA ID 3800025

Cass County2 schools
913
19
BEULAH 27

LEA ID 3800032

Mercer County3 schools
761
20
STANLEY 2

LEA ID 3817570

Mountrail County2 schools
755
21
UNITED 7

LEA ID 3818730

Ward County2 schools
703
22
NORTHERN CASS 97

LEA ID 3800044

Cass County3 schools
689
23
BOTTINEAU 1

LEA ID 3803060

Bottineau County2 schools
660
24
THOMPSON 61

LEA ID 3818280

Grand Forks County2 schools
655
25
KILLDEER 16

LEA ID 3810270

Dunn County2 schools
646
26
LISBON 19

LEA ID 3811430

Ransom County3 schools
628
27
CARRINGTON 49

LEA ID 3800053

Foster County2 schools
613
28
RUGBY 5

LEA ID 3816130

Pierce County2 schools
607
29
NEDROSE 4

LEA ID 3813660

Ward County2 schools
600
30
HAZEN 3

LEA ID 3800031

Mercer County3 schools
568
31
DUNSEITH 1

LEA ID 3805460

Rolette County2 schools
547
32
SOUTH PRAIRIE 70

LEA ID 3817170

Ward County2 schools
533
33
TIOGA 15

LEA ID 3800039

Williams County2 schools
523
34
MAY-PORT CG 14

LEA ID 3800041

Traill County3 schools
508
35
HILLSBORO 9

LEA ID 3809570

Traill County3 schools
507
36
BOWMAN CO 1

LEA ID 3803200

Bowman County4 schools
498
37
OAKES 41

LEA ID 3814500

Dickey County2 schools
491
38
PARK RIVER AREA 8

LEA ID 3800401

Walsh County2 schools
484
39
ST JOHN 3

LEA ID 3817460

Rolette County2 schools
447
40
VELVA 1

LEA ID 3817040

McHenry County2 schools
440
41
NESSON 2

LEA ID 3813710

Williams County2 schools
427
42
SURREY 41

LEA ID 3817910

Ward County2 schools
423
43
LANGDON AREA 23

LEA ID 3810810

Cavalier County2 schools
415
44
CAVALIER 6

LEA ID 3800018

Pembina County2 schools
412
45
SOUTH HEART 9

LEA ID 3817130

Stark County4 schools
406
46
KIDDER COUNTY 1

LEA ID 3800389

Kidder County2 schools
403
47
LEWIS AND CLARK 161

LEA ID 3800058

Ward County4 schools
400
48
HARVEY 38

LEA ID 3808890

Wells County2 schools
394
49
LARIMORE 44

LEA ID 3810860

Grand Forks County2 schools
390
50
GARRISON 51

LEA ID 3807590

McLean County2 schools
388
51
DIVIDE COUNTY 1

LEA ID 3805160

Divide County2 schools
383
52
NEW SALEM-ALMONT 49

LEA ID 3800392

Morton County2 schools
365
53
TGU 60

LEA ID 3800047

McHenry County6 schools
340
54
ELLENDALE 40

LEA ID 3806090

Dickey County4 schools
339
55
WASHBURN 4

LEA ID 3819290

McLean County2 schools
335
56
NORTHWOOD 129

LEA ID 3814340

Grand Forks County2 schools
334
57
NEW ROCKFORD-SHEYENNE 2

LEA ID 3800059

Eddy County2 schools
332
58
NORTH BORDER 100

LEA ID 3800054

Pembina County4 schools
325
59
EIGHT MILE 6

LEA ID 3806010

Williams County2 schools
325
60
ALEXANDER 2

LEA ID 3801760

McKenzie County2 schools
321

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

BILLINGS CO 1

Billings County

94

Students
102
Schools
2

LANGDON AREA 23

Cavalier County

76

Students
415
Schools
2

76

Students
91
Schools
2

74

Students
607
Schools
2

LISBON 19

Ransom County

71

Students
628
Schools
3

ENDERLIN AREA 24

Ransom County

71

Students
308
Schools
3

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About North Dakota School Districts

What are the best school districts in North Dakota?
BISMARCK 1, WEST FARGO 6, FARGO 1 are the largest North Dakota district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are North Dakota districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 8 North Dakota districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for North Dakota?
This page includes 172 North Dakota public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

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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