Best Public Schools in Park River, ND

Summary:

The city of Park River, North Dakota is home to two schools - Park River Area Elementary School and Park River Area High School, both part of the Park River Area 8 district. While the high school has historically performed better than the elementary school, both face challenges in terms of academic achievement and economic disadvantage among their student populations.

Park River Area Elementary School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from 83rd out of 202 elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 41st out of 53 in 2024-2025. In the 2024-2025 school year, the elementary school had 40% proficiency in math and 31% proficiency in reading, both below the state averages. In contrast, Park River Area High School has performed better, ranking 26th out of 125 high schools in 2015-2016 and 38th out of 108 in 2014-2015, though more recent ranking data is not provided.

Both schools have similar free/reduced lunch rates around 27%, indicating a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations. Despite spending $10,197 per student, which is above the state average, the academic performance at the elementary school level has not translated to stronger outcomes. The elementary school has a 12.4 student-teacher ratio, while the high school has a 14.4 ratio, suggesting a greater focus on smaller class sizes at the younger grades.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				A-Plus Math (2025)								A-Plus Reading (2025)								A-Plus Science (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	A-Plus Math 3rd Grade	A-Plus Math 4th Grade	A-Plus Math 5th Grade	A-Plus Math 6th Grade	A-Plus Math 7th Grade	A-Plus Math 8th Grade	A-Plus Math 10th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 3rd Grade	A-Plus Reading 4th Grade	A-Plus Reading 5th Grade	A-Plus Reading 6th Grade	A-Plus Reading 7th Grade	A-Plus Reading 8th Grade	A-Plus Reading 10th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 4th Grade	A-Plus Science 8th Grade	A-Plus Science 10th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Park River Area Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	704 5th St W	Park River	58270	Walsh County	Park River Area 8	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 284-7164	275	30	9.0	29.1%	242 (88.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.7%)	3 (1.1%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.7%)	33.4	161^st of 216 public elementary schools	25.5%		52.8	92^nd of 217 public elementary schools	57.6%	69	19.5	29.0	29.5	69.0	49.0	59.0		40.0	19.5	29.5	29.5	49.5	39.5	49.5		31.0	49.0	59.0		49.0	$11,446	$1,193	$10,252
Park River Area High School	Public	7-12	704 5th St W	Park River	58270	Walsh County	Park River Area 8	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 284-7164	195	15	12.7	29.7%	181 (92.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.6%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	67	33^rd of 125 public high schools	73.6%		79.8	19^th of 122 public high schools	84.4%	14							44.0	44.0							34.0	34.0			44.0	44.0	$11,446	$1,193	$10,252

IMPORTANT NOTE: North Dakota does not publish exact assessment percentages; instead, results are reported as ranges (e.g., 20-29%) to protect student privacy in smaller groups. The proficiency rates displayed on SchoolDigger are calculated using midpoint imputation—the center value of each reported range. Actual values may differ by up to 5 percentage points from the figures shown.

Cities Near Park River

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Edinburg	8.66 mi	1	18^th
Hoople	10.59 mi	1
Fordville	12.6 mi	2
Crystal	13.9 mi	1	98^th
Grafton	14.68 mi	3	127^th

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.