Best Cities in North Dakota for Schools

Welcome to SchoolDigger, your premier source for city-wide school rankings! Our user-friendly platform focuses on test scores, presenting a transparent, data-driven comparison to help you navigate the educational scene. Explore top-rated cities in North Dakota and make informed decisions for your child's academic future. With our comprehensive database, uncover the best-performing schools within each city, evaluate their performance, and gain valuable insights. Trust SchoolDigger.com to guide you in finding the perfect city for your child's education. Embark on your journey to academic success right here!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish North Dakota test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the test scores by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The most recent update was on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

Be the first to know when we post new test scores and rankings!

Rank (of 145)	City	# Elementary Schools	# Middle Schools	# High Schools	# Alt. Schools	# Private Schools*	Rank score (2025)	Rank (2024)	Rank change from 2024
1^st	Leeds	1	0	1	0	0	0.995	20	19
2^nd	Kulm	1	0	1	0	0	0.991	10	8
3^rd	Walhalla	1	0	1	0	0	0.981	45	42
4^th	Hebron	1	0	1	0	0	0.968	6	2
5^th	Petersburg	0	0	1	0	0	0.96	66	61
6^th	Colfax	0	0	1	0	0	0.952	22	16
7^th	Forman	1	0	1	0	0	0.949	24	17
8^th	McClusky	1	0	1	0	0	0.94		(n/a)
9^th	Gackle	1	0	1	0	0	0.931		(n/a)
10^th	Scranton	1	0	1	0	0	0.926	2	8
11^th	Casselton	1	1	1	0	0	0.917	18	7
12^th	McVille	1	0	0	0	0	0.917	12
13^th	Munich	1	0	1	0	0	0.915	30	17
14^th	Linton	1	0	1	0	0	0.913	48	34
15^th	Hazelton	1	0	1	0	0	0.9	67	52
16^th	Carrington	1	0	1	0	0	0.894	11	5
17^th	Des Lacs	0	0	1	0	0	0.872	26	9
18^th	Edinburg	0	0	1	0	0	0.848		(n/a)
19^th	Harwood	1	0	0	0	0	0.833	23	4
20^th	Abercrombie	1	0	0	0	0	0.819	19	1
21^st	Pembina	1	0	1	0	0	0.817	1	20
22^nd	Steele	1	0	1	0	0	0.817	13	9
23^rd	Hatton	1	0	1	0	0	0.817	15	8
24^th	Grand Forks AFB	1	1	0	0	0	0.813	39	15
25^th	Fairview	2	0	0	0	0	0.806		(n/a)
26^th	Ellendale	1	1	2	0	0	0.774	36	10
27^th	Elgin	1	0	1	0	0	0.773	103	76
28^th	Northwood	1	0	1	0	0	0.767	85	57
29^th	Thompson	1	0	1	0	0	0.764	21	8
30^th	Burlington	1	0	0	0	0	0.764	5	25
31^st	Hazen	1	1	1	0	0	0.758	49	18
32^nd	Buxton	1	0	1	0	0	0.756	16	16
33^rd	Hunter	1	1	1	0	0	0.755	7	26
34^th	Oakes	1	0	1	0	0	0.751	79	45
35^th	Granville	1	0	1	0	0	0.75		(n/a)
36^th	Minot Afb	2	1	0	0	0	0.745	83	47
37^th	Turtle Lake	1	0	1	0	0	0.745	41	4
38^th	Beach	1	0	1	0	0	0.733	86	48
39^th	New Salem	1	0	1	0	0	0.732	55	16
40^th	Wilton	1	0	1	0	0	0.729	94	54
41^st	Richardton	0	1	1	0	0	0.72	106	65
42^nd	Page	1	0	0	0	0	0.718	102	60
43^rd	Mohall	1	0	1	0	0	0.717	27	16
44^th	Enderlin	2	0	1	0	0	0.716	25	19
45^th	Tower City	2	0	1	0	0	0.712	51	6
46^th	Kindred	1	0	1	0	0	0.711	4	42
47^th	Powers Lake	1	0	1	0	0	0.7	9	38
48^th	Cavalier	1	0	1	0	0	0.696	32	16
49^th	Valley City	1	2	1	0	1	0.689	54	5
50^th	Napoleon	1	0	1	0	0	0.689	100	50
51^st	Mapleton	1	0	0	0	0	0.685	28	23
52^nd	Maddock	1	0	1	0	0	0.671	60	8
53^rd	Lisbon	1	1	1	0	0	0.662	47	6
54^th	Belfield	2	0	1	0	0	0.662	80	26
55^th	Plaza	1	0	1	0	0	0.659	42	13
56^th	Fessenden	1	0	1	0	0	0.65	52	4
57^th	Glenfield	0	0	1	0	0	0.648	56	1
58^th	Kenmare	1	0	1	0	0	0.645	35	23
59^th	Wimbledon	1	0	1	0	0	0.64	17	42
60^th	Rolla	1	0	1	0	0	0.634	46	14
61^st	Bowman	2	0	1	0	0	0.632	107	46
62^nd	Washburn	1	0	1	0	0	0.628	117	55
63^rd	Berthold	1	0	1	0	0	0.627	43	20
64^th	Manvel	1	0	0	0	0	0.627	73	9
65^th	Edgeley	2	0	1	0	0	0.609	81	16
66^th	Hettinger	1	0	1	0	0	0.607	64	2
67^th	Lamoure	2	0	1	0	0	0.605	29	38
68^th	Grenora	1	0	1	0	0	0.584	105	37
69^th	Larimore	1	0	1	0	1	0.579	99	30
70^th	Velva	1	0	1	0	0	0.575	3	67
71^st	Wishek	1	0	1	0	0	0.573	62	9
72^nd	Rugby	1	0	1	0	1	0.571	111	39
73^rd	Wyndmere	1	0	1	0	0	0.556	74	1
74^th	Underwood	1	0	1	0	0	0.556	112	38
75^th	Bismarck	23	4	5	0	12	0.545	69	6
76^th	Mandan	9	1	4	0	2	0.54	76
77^th	Max	1	0	1	0	0	0.536	31	46
78^th	Ray	1	0	1	0	0	0.528	78
79^th	Mayville	1	1	1	0	0	0.528	71	8
80^th	Hillsboro	1	0	1	0	0	0.514	33	47
81^st	Binford	1	0	0	0	0	0.514	96	15
82^nd	Jamestown	5	1	1	0	4	0.501	72	10
83^rd	Glenburn	1	0	1	0	0	0.498	125	42
84^th	Park River	1	0	1	0	0	0.495	40	44
85^th	Grand Forks	10	3	3	0	3	0.493	77	8
86^th	Beulah	1	1	1	0	0	0.49	98	12
87^th	Lidgerwood	1	0	1	0	0	0.486	139	52
88^th	Inkster	1	0	1	0	0	0.485	88
89^th	Milnor	2	0	2	0	0	0.485	53	36
90^th	Alexander	1	0	1	0	0	0.471	126	36
91^st	Garrison	1	0	1	0	0	0.471	87	4
92^nd	Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0.463	50	42
93^rd	Saint John	1	0	1	0	0	0.456	116	23
94^th	Towner	2	0	2	0	0	0.448	129	35
95^th	Horace	1	1	1	0	0	0.446	59	36
96^th	South Heart	2	0	2	0	0	0.442	38	58
97^th	Westhope	1	0	1	0	0	0.441	82	15
98^th	Crystal	1	0	0	0	0	0.44	57	41
99^th	Buchanan	1	0	0	0	0	0.426	8	91
100^th	Minot	14	3	5	1	3	0.421	101	1
101^st	Harvey	1	0	1	0	0	0.417	14	87
102^nd	Finley	1	0	1	0	0	0.416		(n/a)
103^rd	Bottineau	1	0	1	0	0	0.413	65	38
104^th	West Fargo	10	3	4	0	1	0.411	93	11
105^th	Cando	1	0	1	0	0	0.41	63	42
106^th	Wahpeton	2	2	1	0	1	0.409	70	36
107^th	New Rockford	1	0	1	0	0	0.402	58	49
108^th	Glen Ullin	1	0	1	0	0	0.386	37	71
109^th	Dickinson	8	1	3	0	6	0.379	108	1
110^th	Cooperstown	1	0	1	0	0	0.377	113	3
111^th	Surrey	1	0	1	0	0	0.372	95	16
112^th	Hankinson	1	0	1	0	0	0.367	75	37
113^th	Langdon	1	0	1	0	1	0.365	44	69
114^th	Mott	1	0	1	0	0	0.351	121	7
115^th	Tioga	1	0	1	0	0	0.338	115
116^th	Center	1	0	1	0	0	0.337	114	2
117^th	Fargo	21	3	5	0	13	0.337	104	13
118^th	Minto	1	0	1	0	0	0.334	130	12
119^th	Killdeer	1	0	1	0	0	0.333	91	28
120^th	Medina	1	0	1	0	0	0.33	84	36
121^st	Flasher	1	0	1	0	0	0.318	109	12
122^nd	Litchville	1	0	0	0	0	0.278	120	2
123^rd	Trenton	1	0	1	0	0	0.273	137	14
124^th	Parshall	1	0	1	0	0	0.269	124
125^th	Lincoln	1	0	0	0	0	0.25	89	36
126^th	Devils Lake	4	1	1	0	2	0.248	110	16
127^th	Grafton	1	1	1	0	0	0.243	128	1
128^th	New England	1	0	1	0	0	0.235	92	36
129^th	Stanley	1	0	1	0	0	0.218	118	11
130^th	Watford City	2	1	2	0	1	0.212	127	3
131^st	Lakota	1	0	1	0	0	0.204	61	70
132^nd	Roseglen	1	0	1	1	0	0.17	134	2
133^rd	Drayton	1	0	1	0	0	0.155	122	11
134^th	Emerado	1	0	0	0	0	0.139	138	4
135^th	Fort Yates	1	1	0	1	2	0.136	143	8
136^th	Crosby	1	0	1	0	0	0.128	68	68
137^th	Gwinner	1	0	1	0	0	0.118	131	6
138^th	Williston	8	1	2	0	2	0.115	136	2
139^th	Mandaree	1	0	1	1	0	0.109	140	1
140^th	Belcourt	4	2	2	0	1	0.083	133	7
141^st	Minnewaukan	1	0	1	0	0	0.07	132	9
142^nd	Warwick	1	1	1	0	0	0.064	142
143^rd	New Town	1	1	1	0	0	0.053	123	20
144^th	Cannon Ball	1	0	0	0	0	0.037	145	1
145^th	Dunseith	2	0	1	0	0	0.021	141	4

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About our rankings:

* Private schools are not used in determining city rank.
Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
These rankings were last updated on December 4, 2025, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

State-Administered Standardized Tests: A Comprehensive Guide

Student-Teacher Ratios and their Impact on Class Sizes & School Selection

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.