Summary:
The Central Valley 3 district is home to a single high school, Central Valley High School, located in Buxton, ND, which serves grades 7 through 12 with a small enrollment of 101 students.
Central Valley High School presents a mixed picture for parents. On the positive side, the school boasts a perfect 100% graduation rate for the 2024-2025 school year, far exceeding the state average of 84.2%. It also has a low student-teacher ratio of 14.4:1 and a low poverty indicator, with only 19.8% of students receiving free or reduced lunch. However, the school's state ranking has been in a steep decline, dropping from a 5-star, top-10 school (ranked 9th out of 125) in 2022-2023 to a 3-star school (ranked 43rd out of 125) in 2024-2025. This decline is likely driven by a dramatic split in academic performance: while Reading proficiency is exceptionally high at 74.5% (well above the state average of 40%), Math proficiency is critically low at just 20% (far below the state average of 41%). Science proficiency also lags at 34.5%.
The most important takeaway for parents is the extreme "Reading vs. Math" paradox. The school excels in reading instruction but appears to have a significant challenge in math, creating a 54.5 percentage point gap between the two subjects. This uneven performance raises questions about whether the 100% graduation rate truly reflects college or career readiness in STEM fields. While the school's small size and low poverty rate are typically positive indicators, the declining ranking and poor math scores suggest that families should investigate the school's math curriculum and support systems closely. The district's overall test averages are pulled down by the high school's math and science scores, meaning elementary and middle schools in the district may be performing much better in those subjects.
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