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31 North Dakota Districts Are at Their Lowest Graduation Rate on Record
Fargo. West Fargo. Minot. Dickinson. Bismarck. Williston Basin. Wahpeton. Seven large North Dakota districts posted the worst graduation rate they have recorded -- at the same time.
Williston Basin's Oil Boom Built New Schools, But Graduation Rates Kept Falling
The Bakken oil boom transformed Williston, North Dakota, from a small prairie town into one of the state's fastest-growing communities. New schools were built. The graduating cohort more than doubled ...
Only One in Four Native American Students in Minot Graduates on Time
Correction (July 23, 2026): An earlier version said Minot's Native American graduating cohort grew from 22 to 58; the correct figure, stated correctly elsewhere in the article, is from 11 to 58.
How McKenzie County Absorbed the Oil Boom and Kept Graduation at 85.8%
McKenzie County (Watford City) grew 344.8% over the past two decades, from 533 students in 2008 to 2,371 in 2025-26, the steepest enrollment surge of any district in the Bakken oil patch. The boom tha...
At Its 2020 Graduation Rate, North Dakota's Growing Class of 2024 Would Have Earned 573 More Diplomas
In 2020, North Dakota graduated 89% of its seniors on time. If that rate had held, the class of 2024 would have produced 7,726 diploma-holders. Instead, with the rate at 82.4%, about 7,153 students fi...
Minot's Graduation Rate Crossed Below 70% in 2024, Down 19 Points Since 2013
In 2013, nearly nine out of ten Minot seniors graduated on time. In 2024, fewer than seven out of ten did.
Fargo and West Fargo Both Hit All-Time Low Graduation Rates as the Metro Booms
Correction (July 26, 2026): An earlier version of this article said that neither Fargo nor West Fargo responded to a request for comment. We never sent either district a request for comment on this st...
Oil Country Quadrupled Its Schools
In 2008, McKenzie County schools enrolled 533 students. In 2026, they enrolled 2,371. That is a 344.8% increase -- the kind of growth most American school districts will never see. It happened because...
North Dakota's 16-Year Growth Era Ends
For 16 of the past 17 years, North Dakota added students. The Bakken oil boom pulled families into the western prairie. Fargo's suburbs sprawled east. The state's enrollment climbed from 93,406 in 200...