Can I use Pembina County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Pembina County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Pembina County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Pembina County?

Start with the 9 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Pembina County Schools & Education

Name: Pembina County, North Dakota Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Pembina County, North Dakota

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

67/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

88.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

88.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 84.8%

Per-Pupil Spending

$10,552

National avg $13,239

State avg $9,385

School Score

67/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 54/100

State Score Position

of 53 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Pembina County

Measured School Summary

Pembina County performs at an average level with a school score of 67/100 and a solid graduation rate of 88.9%.

Funding Context

Pembina County spends $10,552 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 24% above the North Dakota average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 12% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Pembina County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

9 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

67/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #8 of 53 North Dakota counties with school score data.

Completion

88.9%

4.1 pts above the state average

Funding context

$10,552

$1,167 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Pembina County has 9 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Pembina County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Pembina County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

of 53 North Dakota counties with school score data. The county score is 13 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

CAVALIER 6

Elementary and high visible

412 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

NORTH BORDER 100

Elementary and high visible

325 students

Elementary 2Middle 0High 2Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

DRAYTON 19

Elementary and high visible

176 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

NORTH BORDER 100 is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Pembina County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Pembina County district systems?

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Pembina County Composite School Score Surpasses State Baseline

Education data brief for Pembina County, North Dakota.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:School score

Pembina County recorded a composite school score of 66.8, a figure significantly higher than the North Dakota state average of 53.6 and the national median of 50.0. The county maintains nine public schools, all of which are situated in rural locales. The largest of the three districts is Cavalier 6, which serves 412 students across its two campuses, including the 220-student Cavalier Elementary School. The graduation rate for the county is 88.9%, exceeding the national average of 87.0% and the state mark of 84.8%. Funding levels are set at $10,552 per pupil, which is higher than the state average of $9,385 but remains below the national spending average of $13,000. Total enrollment across the county stands at 957 students, with an average school size of 106 students. Consult the NCES directory for detailed school-level enrollment figures.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Pembina County

Reported Enrollment

957

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary5

Middle0

High4

Other0

3 School Districts in Pembina County

CAVALIER 6

2 schools

412 students

NORTH BORDER 100

4 schools

325 students

DRAYTON 19

2 schools

176 students

9 Public Schools in Pembina County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 9 of 9 matching schools

Public schools in Pembina County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
CAVALIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CAVALIER 6	Cavalier, 58220Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	220
CAVALIER HIGH SCHOOL	Record	CAVALIER 6	Cavalier, 58220Rural: Remote	6–12	High	192
DRAYTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	DRAYTON 19	Drayton, 58225Rural: Remote	PK–8	Primary	130
NORTH BORDER-WALHALLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	NORTH BORDER 100	Walhalla, 58282Rural: Remote	PK–8	Primary	129
NORTH BORDER-PEMBINA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	NORTH BORDER 100	Pembina, 58271Rural: Remote	PK–8	Primary	94
NORTH BORDER-WALHALLA HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NORTH BORDER 100	Walhalla, 58282Rural: Remote	9–12	High	65
DRAYTON HIGH SCHOOL	Record	DRAYTON 19	Drayton, 58225Rural: Remote	9–12	High	46
VALLEY-EDINBURG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-CRYSTAL	Record	VALLEY-EDINBURG 118	Crystal, 58222Rural: Remote	3–6	Primary	44
NORTH BORDER-PEMBINA HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NORTH BORDER 100	Pembina, 58271Rural: Remote	9–12	High	37

CAVALIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CAVALIER 6

Cavalier, 58220 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary220 students

CAVALIER HIGH SCHOOL

CAVALIER 6

Cavalier, 58220 / Rural: Remote

Record6–12High192 students

DRAYTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

DRAYTON 19

Drayton, 58225 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary130 students

NORTH BORDER-WALHALLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NORTH BORDER 100

Walhalla, 58282 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary129 students

NORTH BORDER-PEMBINA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NORTH BORDER 100

Pembina, 58271 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary94 students

NORTH BORDER-WALHALLA HIGH SCHOOL

NORTH BORDER 100

Walhalla, 58282 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High65 students

DRAYTON HIGH SCHOOL

DRAYTON 19

Drayton, 58225 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High46 students

VALLEY-EDINBURG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-CRYSTAL

VALLEY-EDINBURG 118

Crystal, 58222 / Rural: Remote

Record3–6Primary44 students

NORTH BORDER-PEMBINA HIGH SCHOOL

NORTH BORDER 100

Pembina, 58271 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High37 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$10,552

State avg $9,385

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Pembina County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which North Dakota counties have the highest graduation rates?

Mercer County (95.0%), Pierce County (95.0%), and Dickey County (93.4%) currently lead North Dakota among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in North Dakota?

Across North Dakota counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $9,385. The highest current county values are Steele County ($16,783), Sioux County ($14,627), and Burke County ($12,732). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Pembina County?

Pembina County has a school score of 67/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Pembina County?

The high school graduation rate in Pembina County is 88.9%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Pembina County spend per student?

Pembina County spends $10,552 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Renville County

North Dakota

-1 pts

66/100

School score

Barnes County

North Dakota

-2 pts

65/100

School score

Burleigh County

North Dakota

-3 pts

64/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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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