Middle Schools in Fargo 1

Summary:

The Fargo 1 school district in North Dakota is home to three middle schools: Discovery Middle School, Ben Franklin Middle School, and Carl Ben Eielson Middle School. These schools serve students in grades 6-8 and provide a range of educational opportunities within the district.

Among the three middle schools, Discovery Middle School stands out as the top performer, with a statewide ranking of 3 out of 24 middle schools and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently outperforms the Fargo 1 district and the state of North Dakota in both math and reading proficiency across all grade levels. In contrast, Carl Ben Eielson Middle School struggles the most, with significantly lower proficiency rates in math and reading compared to the district and state averages.

While the schools share similar dropout rates and chronic absenteeism rates, there are notable differences in other key metrics. Carl Ben Eielson Middle School has the highest percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the highest spending per student. Conversely, Discovery Middle School has the lowest student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its strong academic performance. Understanding the underlying factors behind these disparities could help the Fargo 1 district identify ways to improve educational outcomes for all middle school students.

District Detail

700 7th Street South
Fargo, ND 58103

(701) 446-1000

SchoolDigger Rank:
104^th of 134 North Dakota districts

See the 2025 North Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 11,443

Primary Schools: 16
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 5
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 6th Grade	A-Plus Math 7th Grade	A-Plus Math 8th Grade	A-Plus Math All Grades	A-Plus Reading 6th Grade	A-Plus Reading 7th Grade	A-Plus Reading 8th Grade	A-Plus Reading All Grades	A-Plus Science 8th Grade	A-Plus Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Discovery Middle School	Public	6-8	1717 40th Ave S	Fargo	58104	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-3300	992	74	13.3	29.4%	623 (62.8%)	191 (19.3%)	58 (5.8%)	60 (6.0%)	15 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (4.4%)	51.1	30^th of 59 public middle schools	49.2%		63.2	14^th of 57 public middle schools	75.4%	16	50.0	47.0	50.0	49.0	40.0	42.0	49.0	44.0	46.0	46.0	$15,491	$618	$14,873
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School	Public	6-8	1601 13th Ave S	Fargo	58103	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-1700	677	58	11.5	45.5%	387 (57.2%)	116 (17.1%)	81 (12.0%)	32 (4.7%)	23 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (5.5%)	35.3	41^st of 59 public middle schools	30.5%		31.6	39^th of 57 public middle schools	31.6%	2	35.0	41.0	44.0	39.0	25.0	39.0	44.0	34.0	44.0	44.0	$16,015	$895	$15,120
Ben Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	1420 8th St N	Fargo	58102	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 446-3600	873	72	12.1	33.6%	624 (71.5%)	73 (8.4%)	65 (7.4%)	23 (2.6%)	33 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.3%)	45.4	36^th of 59 public middle schools	39.0%		51.1	23^rd of 57 public middle schools	59.6%	13	52.0	45.0	43.0	47.0	38.0	36.0	43.0	38.0	52.0	52.0	$14,912	$681	$14,231
Self-Directed Academy	Public	6-8	1305 9th Avenue South	Fargo	58103	Cass County	Fargo 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(701) 446-3000	16	7	2.2		12 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)								(n/a)				44.5				64.5			$37,225	$453	$36,772

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
West Fargo 6	3 mi	26	89^th
Mapleton 7	12.11 mi	1	40^th
Kindred 2	14.99 mi	3	35^th
Central Cass 17	19.74 mi	3	9^th
Richland 44	24.29 mi	2	13^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.

Middle Schools in Fargo 1

District Detail

Discovery Middle School

Ben Franklin Middle School

Carl Ben Eielson Middle School

Self-Directed Academy

Districts nearby