Equity
Fewer Than Half of North Dakota's Youth in Foster Care Graduate on Time
North Dakota's foster care graduation rate has collapsed to 44.7%, down 28 points from 73.1% in 2020, falling well below the national average.
North Dakota
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of North Dakota, grounded in North Dakota Department of Education data.
How McKenzie County Absorbed the Oil Boom and Kept Graduation at 85.8%
McKenzie County grew enrollment 344.8% and still graduates 85.8% of seniors. Other oil-boom districts grew just as fast and now sit lower in the state's graduation table.
At Its 2020 Graduation Rate, North Dakota's Growing Class of 2024 Would Have Earned 573 More Diplomas
North Dakota's cohort keeps growing, but at its 2020 peak rate the class of 2024 would have earned 573 more diplomas. The cumulative gap is about 1,633.
West Fargo Brought Chronic Absenteeism Back Down. What Can Other Districts Learn?
While neighboring Fargo's rate doubled to 26%, West Fargo cut its chronic absence from a 15% peak back to 12%, with mid-year 2024-25 data showing just 3.3%.
Four Students, One District
Marmarth School District enrolled 4 students in 2025-26, making it the smallest of 33 North Dakota districts under 100 students.
More Coverage
Absence
Only 14% of North Dakota Districts Have Recovered to Pre-Pandemic Absence Levels
Just 13 of 93 districts with comparable data have returned to pre-COVID chronic absenteeism rates, while 31% are at their all-time worst in 2024.
Demographics
Six Districts, Half the State
Six urban districts now serve 49.2% of North Dakota students, up from 46.6% in 2008, as the state's 159 remaining districts split the other half.
District Spotlight
Minot's Graduation Rate Crossed Below 70% in 2024, Down 19 Points Since 2013
Minot Public Schools crossed below 70% graduation for the first time in 2024, capping a 19.3-point decline from 89.2% in 2013.
District Spotlight
Grand Forks Cut Total Absences by 34-43%. Can the Model Scale?
After years of worsening attendance, Grand Forks implemented a new policy that produced the district's first improvement since pre-COVID, dropping chronic absence 4 points to 23%.
District Spotlight
Bismarck-Mandan's 18-Year Growth Engine Stalls
Bismarck-Mandan added 4,328 students since 2008, but K enrollment has fallen 19% in four years and Bismarck just posted its first non-COVID decline.
Equity
The 24-Point Gap: Native American Students Graduate at 63% While White Peers Reach 88%
The white-Native American graduation gap widened back to 24 points, erasing all gains made between 2013 and 2018.
Equity
Native American Students in North Dakota Cut 5 Points From Their COVID Attendance Peak, More Than Any Other Group. The Gap Widened Anyway.
Four of five racial gaps in North Dakota chronic absenteeism are wider than 2019. But the recovery has been uneven across groups: Native American students recovered most from their pandemic peak, Pacific Islander students recovered not at all, and the Asian-white gap inverted.
Equity
A Majority of Students Who Are Currently Homeless in North Dakota Are Chronically Absent
Fifty-three percent of students who are currently homeless in North Dakota miss more than 10% of school days, up from 39% before the pandemic, with virtually no recovery from the COVID peak.
Graduation
Three in Four North Dakota Ninth Graders Now Earn a Diploma on Time, Down from Nearly Nine in Ten
North Dakota's effective high school completion rate has fallen to 75%, down from 86% a decade ago. Mandan is the only large district to improve.
District Spotlight
Fargo and West Fargo Both Hit All-Time Low Graduation Rates as the Metro Booms
Fargo dropped to 80% and West Fargo to 79.9% in 2024, both all-time lows, despite being the state's fastest-growing metro area.
