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Best Public Schools in Grand Forks, ND


At a glance
17
Schools
7,514
Students
2
5-star schools
Top rankedJ Nelson Kelly Elementary School5th of 217 North Dakota elementary schools
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Biggest riser
Phoenix Elementary School up 42 spots statewide this year
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Smallest classes
South Middle School 6.1 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
3★
2★
1★
2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The city of Grand Forks, North Dakota is home to 16 schools, including 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 high schools, all part of the Grand Forks 1 school district. The district is ranked 10 out of 23 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Among the standout schools in the district are Discovery Elementary School and J Nelson Kelly Elementary School, both earning 5-star ratings and ranking as the top elementary schools in the state. At the middle school level, Schroeder Middle School is the top-ranked school in the state with a 5-star rating. The district's highest-ranked high school is Central High School, earning a 5-star rating and ranking as the second-highest in the state.

The data reveals a wide range of academic performance across the district, with the top-performing schools demonstrating significantly higher proficiency rates in math, reading, and science compared to the district and state averages. However, there is also a clear correlation between socioeconomic status, as measured by free/reduced lunch rates, and academic performance, with the schools serving higher-poverty populations tending to have lower test scores and outcomes. Interestingly, spending per student does not appear to be a strong predictor of academic success, and student-teacher ratios are not necessarily an indicator of a school's performance.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Grand Forks

See the top ND North Dakota cities
SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

About North Dakota Assessment Data: To protect student privacy, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction reports assessment results as percentage ranges rather than exact values. SchoolDigger calculates proficiency rates using midpoint imputation, which uses the center value of each reported range. For example, a reported range of 20-29% is represented as 24.5%. As a result, the proficiency rates shown may vary by approximately ±5 percentage points from actual values. This variance is most significant for individual grade/subject combinations and diminishes when data is aggregated across multiple grades or subjects.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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