Nesson 2

Summary:

The Nesson 2 school district in North Dakota contains two schools - Ray Elementary School and Ray High School. While the elementary school has shown improvement in its statewide ranking, the high school continues to struggle, ranking in the bottom 10% of North Dakota high schools. Both schools serve a relatively affluent student population, with low free and reduced lunch rates.

Ray Elementary School has made significant progress, moving from the bottom 10% of North Dakota elementary schools to a ranking of 34 out of 53 in the 2024-2025 school year. The school boasts higher math proficiency rates compared to the district and state averages, but faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate and a high student-teacher ratio of 18.8, which may impact the quality of instruction.

In contrast, Ray High School remains in the bottom 10% of North Dakota high schools, ranked 48 out of 52 in the 2016-2017 school year. However, the school has a relatively strong four-year graduation rate of 84.2% and a lower student-teacher ratio of 12.7, which may indicate more individualized attention for students. The Nesson 2 district as a whole is ranked 18 out of 23 districts in the state and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

District Detail

224 2nd Ave W
Ray, ND 58849

(701) 568-3301

SchoolDigger Rank:
70^th of 134 North Dakota districts

See the 2025 North Dakota District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 443

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
Ray Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	224 2nd Ave W	Ray	58849	Williams County	Nesson 2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(701) 568-3301	324	17	18.6	15.7%	278 (85.8%)	4 (1.2%)	18 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.8%)	58.6	75^th of 216 public elementary schools	65.3%		68.5	47^th of 217 public elementary schools	78.3%	28	34.0	69.0	59.0	39.0	39.0	49.0		44.0	29.0	59.5	49.5	39.5	39.5	19.5		35.0	59.0	49.0		49.0	$14,548	$303	$14,244
Ray High School	Public	9-12	224 2nd Ave W	Ray	58849	Williams County	Nesson 2	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 568-3301	119	10	11.6	16.0%	99 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (9.2%)	56.1	49^th of 125 public high schools	60.8%		38.3	80^th of 122 public high schools	34.4%	31							39.5	39.5							39.5	39.5			29.5	29.5	$14,548	$303	$14,244

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
Tioga 15	10.82 mi	2	105^th
Williston Basin 7	21.11 mi	11	126^th
Powers Lake 27	28.59 mi	2	36^th
Stanley 2	35.75 mi	2	117^th
Eight Mile 6	35.98 mi	2	112^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.