District Spotlight
Oil Country Quadrupled Its Schools
McKenzie County grew 345% since 2008 as the Bakken boom reshaped western ND. Rapid growth brought teacher shortages and a graduation gap.
North Dakota Education News & Data
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Absence
North Dakota's Chronic Absence Recovery Has Stalled. One in Five Students Still Missing Too Much School
Despite reopening schools faster than almost any state, North Dakota's chronic absenteeism rate has flatlined at 20% for two consecutive years, recovering just 20% of the way back to pre-pandemic levels.
Graduation Rate
89% to 82%: North Dakota's Graduation Rate Collapse
North Dakota's four-year graduation rate has fallen every year since 2020, dropping 6.6 points as a growing cohort outpaces the system.
Demographics
North Dakota's Kindergarten Class Is the Smallest in 14 Years
Kindergarten enrollment fell 13.1% from its 2020 peak. North Dakota now has fewer entering students than graduates, a first since the Bakken boom.
District Spotlight
West Fargo Has Grown for 18 Straight Years
West Fargo Schools has added students every year since 2009, more than doubling to 13,211. The gap with Bismarck is now just 466 students.
Enrollment
North Dakota's 16-Year Growth Era Ends
After adding 23,192 students since 2009, North Dakota's enrollment declined in 2026 for the first time outside a pandemic year, signaling a structural shift.
Enrollment
North Dakota Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
NDDPI releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing a 233-student decline, ending a 16-year growth era driven by the Bakken oil boom.