Park River Area 8

Summary:

The Park River Area 8 district in North Dakota operates two schools: Park River Area Elementary School and Park River Area High School. The district is ranked 19 out of 23 in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Park River Area High School has maintained a stronger historical performance, reaching a 4-star statewide ranking in 2015-2016, the Park River Area Elementary School has seen a concerning decline, dropping from 3 stars in 2016-2017 to just 1 star in 2024-2025. The elementary school's test scores are below the district and state averages, and its chronic absenteeism rate is high at 20%.

Despite the differences in academic performance, both schools have similar spending per student ($10,197) and student-teacher ratios (12.4 at the elementary school and 14.4 at the high school). The relatively high free/reduced lunch rates of around 27% at both schools suggest that the district may be serving a population with lower socioeconomic status, which could be a contributing factor to the academic challenges observed. Further investigation into the specific strategies and interventions employed at each school could provide valuable insights to improve educational outcomes in the Park River Area 8 district.

District Detail

704 5th St W
Park River, ND 58270

(701) 284-7164

SchoolDigger Rank:
76^th of 134 North Dakota districts

See the 2025 North Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 470

Primary Schools: 1
Middle Schools: 0
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

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.

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Valley-Edinburg 118	8.81 mi	3	46^th
Fordville-Lankin 5	12.12 mi	2
Grafton 18	15 mi	3	115^th
Minto 20	18.58 mi	2	107^th
Midway 128	19.88 mi	2	79^th

See the top ND North Dakota districts

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.